Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Made in Norway
MaTilla offers feminine and classically cut designs made from high-quality materials.
Take charge and turn dreams into reality Growing up, Hilde Sævild Teige had one dream: to become a fashion designer and make her own clothes. In 2012, having carefully researched colours and materials, she finally felt ready to reveal her lifelong dream to the world and launch the fashion brand MaTilla. By Andrea Bærland | Photos: MaTilla
The original MaTilla shop, and the heart of the brand’s online store, is located on Hilde’s home island of Sotra, just outside Bergen city centre. “I have four teenagers, two girls and two boys, who help me with packing online orders, so in a way MaTilla has become a family business,” the proud designer says. And keeping things close to home is Hilde’s main business strategy. Anything she can do herself, she will do herself. While the clothes are produced in Chi22 | Issue 86 | March 2016
na, it is Hilde herself who has chosen the factories and follows up their work several times a year. “While most brands leave the communication with the factory to an agent, I have chosen to do it all myself, which means that I’m making at least four trips to China every year to visit and work closely with the factories,” Hilde explains. The close, personal communication with the factory gives Hilde the reassurance that the working conditions in her fac-
tories hold a satisfying ethical standard. “And that,” she asserts, “is definitely very important to me.”
It is what you are made of In addition to an ethical production, Hilde is extremely passionate about the materials she chooses for the garments. “I spend a lot of time choosing clean, natural fabrics. I use a lot of cashmere, merino wool, silk, cotton and tencel – a material made of cellulose. In addition to being clean and durable, the materials have to feel soft and comfortable against the skin. There is no greater joy than slipping into a silky blouse or a warm and soft sweater,” she says. Another great passion of Hilde’s is working with colours. “Picking colours and