The Church’s Bymission in Tønsberg runs the second-hand store Skattkammeret. They are experiencing great demand for borrowing bunad until 17 May.

It has really taken off now in May, the warehouse is being emptied, says Cecilie Carlsen in the Church’s Bymission in Tønsberg.

In Tønsberg, between 50 and 60 bunads are offered for free lending, most of them to children, writes Vårt Land.

We want as many people as possible to use the scheme. And the more people who use it, the more sustainable it becomes and the less stigmatising it becomes for those who need it for financial reasons. It should be fun and cool to borrow from us, says Carlsen.

Another Bunad pioneer is The Norwegian Church in Ringebu in Gudbrandsdalen. Parish teacher Inger Melbø Strangstad says that they got the idea after an article about poverty in the local newspaper. The Upland Helpline then advised that there was a need for bunaders.

We realised that poverty was much closer to us than we had thought – not least that there was great child poverty. The church invites parishioners to so many feast days at the same time, there is a pressure to dress with these festive days. Then it’s nice that it doesn’t have to cost so much, notes Strangstad.

It is local clothes that are borrowed. Rutaliv and rondastakk, Gudbrandsdal festival costume, and other embroidered bunads from the district.

The lending figures indicate that many no longer find it embarrassing to have to borrow clothes.

There is a lot of attention on the environment and reduced consumption. People have become more aware and want to borrow or buy used instead of owning, not least the youth. They don’t think this is embarrassing. That primarily remains in older generations, says Monica Vogt, general manager at Bua.