T-Michael and Alexander Helle of Norwegian Rain

Heart Made brings you deep-dive conversations about building successful legacy brands and hitting that sweet spot between craft and glory.

In this episode, I venture north, to very rainy Bergen in Norway. Well, virtually anyway, as we all are forced to travel these days. Nevertheless, it was a true pleasure to catch up with the duo behind outerwear brand Norwegian Rain, T-Michael and Alexander Helle, because I have been a huge admirer of their collections and approach to design. Ready for extreme conditions, yet never sacrificing the sartorial fine-tuning that T-Michael, a bespoke tailor, brings to their business.

How did they carve out this almost avantgarde niche in a distinctly down to earth area of the fashion market? What can they teach other founders about staying true to your vision and embracing sustainability not only as a philosophical concept but an economical one as well? And which (fake) order gave them the biggest headache of their robust career? Let's find out!

Listen to more interviews with founders, entrepreneurs, artisans and tastemakers on finding ikigai, the Japanese concept teaching us to combine four integral parts of any business: what you do best, what you enjoy doing, what the world needs and what you can get paid for.

Heart Made is the first podcast of Craft & Glory, a magazine celebrating extraordinary companies, brands and people who believe in the art of making things better. More at craftandglory.com/heartmade/