Odlo was founded in 1946 by the eccentric, and brilliantly named, Odd Roar Lofterød. Lofterød began by manufacturing lady’s underwear but soon began to produce sports training kits as demand for his garments grew. In 1963, now under the banner of Odlo, Lofterød developed a revolutionary new suit for skiers and speed skaters, made from a cutting edge synthetic fibre which gave the fabric an elasticity and fit unlike anything else on the market at the time. The suit was adopted by the Norwegian ski team for the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck and by the time the Winter Olympics in Sapporo came around in 1972, there were 22 national teams competing in Odlo gear.

Today, Odlo’s is a firmly established active sportswear company and their three-layer principle has been adopted industry-wide. The first layer, the underwear, is designed to ensure optimum moisture management. The second layer helps to regulate the wearer's temperature, while the third layer provides protection from wind and rain.