Our story

Dilling’s story began in 1916 with a man, his wife, and their five children, as well as the sheep grazing on their land. The man’s name was Andreas Bertelsen, and he bought a hand-operated knitting machine to make wool underwear. He then went from door to door to sell the woollens to make a living.

He named the business A. Bertelsen Tricotagefabrik.

In the mid-1940s, Andreas’ son, Osvald H. Bertelsen, took over the company. Under Osvald's ownership, the love for another natural material blossomed, one that is still important to DILLING today: organic cotton.

Osvald had a big love for music and often had local musicians over on weekends. His passion for music inspired his saying: “We must also remember to live.”

The company was renamed Osvald H. Bertelsen Tricotagefabrik.

At 27 years old, Villy H. Bertelsen took over the company from his father, Osvald, in 1968. Villy wanted to produce men’s underwear, as the company only made women's underwear at the time.

Villy’s talent as a pianist was remarkable from a young age, so his father hoped he might pursue a career at the music conservatory. Despite never discussing it directly, Villy took over the company within just a month. He ended up leading it for 48 years, whilst continuing to play piano.

Anky was the name of the company at this time

In 2016, Morten Dilling Bertelsen formally took over the family business from his father, Villy. Morten knew it inside out but was also eager to explore new paths – while respecting the company's history and heritage.

Morten had one particular dream which he realised: to sell the clothes exclusively through DILLING's own websites – cutting out middlemen to offer fair prices directly to customers.

In 2020, the company was renamed DILLING, a surname Morten inherited from his paternal grandmother's German ancestors.

Today, the company is still called DILLING.