The Norwegian clothing brand Close to My Heart was born in Nepal.
Siv Katralen, chief designer and owner of the brand, was on a climbing trip in the Himalayas in 2011. She fell in love with both the people and the country, and with the help of her Sherpa, she found her first product. This was a cashmere scarf, now well known as Mie and Mie Grand. A small family-run business in the heart of Kathmandu was given the production of the scarves that today hang around the necks of thousands of women of all ages.
From the modest start in 2011, Close to My Heart has grown to become a well-established clothing brand in Norway. We are proud to have some of the country's finest stores on our customer list.
All our scarves are dyed by hand in large pots.
With a focus on quality, we try to produce as much as possible in Nepal. Most of our beautiful knitwear will always be made there, as long as we can guarantee the quality. 50% of our production comes from Nepal, which generates hundreds of jobs every year. Siv visits the factories regularly and meets both the owners and the workers. It gives us a good feeling to know that our factories respect and appreciate the workers, especially the women.
Here, Aisha Sweater is made ready on linking machines.
Siv has been involved in several NGO projects in Nepal, mostly on the basis of giving back to this beautiful country, but also because it has a positive impact on her life. The work continues with a focus on women's rights and education.
The NGO project Pads for School: Close to My Heart has sewn and distributed over 17,000 sanitary napkins to girls in Nepal
We also produce in other countries and focus as much as possible on sustainability. It is challenging to achieve this, but we can all do something. One thing we can all do is shop less and focus on quality rather than quantity.
We find the inspiration for Close to My Heart both in daily life here at home in Norway and in Nepal. We always strive to offer a large selection of colors in our collection, and the strong colors are inspired by Nepal. We are a group of women who work together with different lives and interests, but share the same passion for good quality and fashion.
Our garments must always be of good quality, flattering and made to last.
Our mantra is #madewell, which sums up what we want to achieve.
The brand name says it all: Close to My Heart - it is inspired by Siv´'s love for her daughter Mia, and of course her love for Nepal and the Nepalese people.
Our DNA = Nepal
Siv Katralen, owner and main designer at Close to My Heart