Cala & Jade – from undercover to growing success

Its been two years since I came across Cala & Jade for the first time. There was something continental about the brand that made me very qurious; had I finally found a Norwegian fashion brand worthy international attention?

While searching the Norwegian markets for my own brand ideas, I came upon this very exiting brand called Cala & Jade. I can’t explain exactly why I noticed it. Perhaps it was the continental touch that one would expect to find in the coolest shops in New York. There was something about the mixture of materials that was very exiting. The Gumma bag made of leather and kelim.

I am sure that most of my fellow Norwegians will agree with me when I say that for a long time Norwegian design has been very stereotypical  represented by felt dresses in greens and lilacs. However, during the last few years things have improved. Better education opportunities within design, increased focus and fashion interest in general has been observed. In addition,  young Norwegian designers have also been more business minded than ever before. They are also increasingly looking for inspiration throughout the European Continent rather than limiting themselves to fjords and glaciers. Yes, Norway is a beautiful country with its amazing nature and great living, but that is just not enough as a sole source of  inspiration for innovative design and great fashion. However, and perhaps most important, Norwegians have finally learned to think big. Yes, we can! Sure, we have skilled and creative people making great things in Norway who in addition have what it takes to make it big worldwide. We can do it, so let’s start making fashion for people around the world – and I am pleased to see that Cala & Jade is already on its way.

CALA & JADE was established by the Norwegian design duo Nina Amble Sanaas and Tina C, Skaar who met while studying together for three years at ESMOD, the fashion school in Oslo. Having discovered that they shared a common childhood dream of creating their own fashion brand, they chose women’s wear as their field. Initially, having specialized in fur, they now went on to create leather bags. Their fascination for leather and obsession with developing new material techniques eventually became an essential part of their philosophy which lead to the creation of their fashion brand, CALA & JADE.

Never content with the ordinary, Nina and Tina wanted to design a refined looking bag that not only had the best quality leather, but also, somehow incorporated innovative functionality. The result was Gumma, a leather frame with with an interchangeable inner bag which effectively means that the look of the bag can be completely changed depending on mood, season, or style.

Cala & Jade – a childhood dream
They both had a childhood dream of creating something of their own. After three hardworking years at Esmod, Nina & Tina were ready for new adventures.

- During our studies at Esmod we were living in a small, but creative bubble, working together as a group and having a blast. After finishing school, the desire to create our own fashion brand became more important and in just a few weeks we started to work on our common vision, the girls say.

Their fascination for leather and development of new material techniques made them choose to start designing bags.

- We didn’t have much experience with accessories and leather, so we had quite a lot to learn both about leather and bags. We started researching and made our first bags out of our mothers old leather clothes.

The girls started a pre project and tested the bags among friends and retailers with an undercover name.

- Surprisingly to us, the response was very positive, and we immediately decided to go for it, to build our own dream. We knew it would be a tough process, but decided it was better to try to live our dream rather than later looking back with regret and not knowing what could have happened.

From there on they headed for Italy to learn about leather and find suppliers and a factory.

A big challenge to be small and unknown
Building  a fashion brand isn’t all about having a great idea and the skills to design. It also means you have to cross the entry barriers that often is a “make or brake it” for new designers and entrepreneurs. To Nina and Tina the list of challenges worth mentioning is long. – Being small and unknown is difficult, and to us good quality materials & craftsmanship have been very important from day one, they agree. – However, such high quality goals, also makes the production process very expensive. This again makes it difficult to keep a large inventory unless you are solidly funded, which is not the case for most start-ups.

The girls still dream of eventually launching a clothing line, and are constantly drawing ideas that they put away and save for the future. Even though Cala & Jade are still fairly new and small in the market, their bags have probably become more known among Norwegian fashionists because of the girls cooperation with other Norwegian designers. They have been working with Celine Maktabi (Kelim carpets) and Mardou & Dean ( Norwegian Jeans brand). The girls are continuing with similar projects in the future. – We see it as a unique possibility to show Cala & Jade in new & different ways through creative work with others. It’s a great way to share experiences, building networks, expanding the horizon and showing the market the versatility of the Cala & Jade brand. And, not least, it’s great fun too!  the girls conclude.
To Nina and Tina, the most positive experience as designers and entrepreneurs so far has been to see their bags on the street or in shops. – It’s fantastic every time, the girls agree.

Mini Gumma’s next season?
I love the Gumma Bag’s framework that may so easily change a bag’s appearance by replacing the inside. For those of you that love the Gumma bags, but prefer smaller bags, Cala & Jade might have a solution for you. We may expect to see some smaller Gumma bags during spring 2012. The girls secretly told me that they have planted a mini Gumma tree in Italy, and that they plan to harvest mini Gummas (Gumini) next spring…

Check out calajade.com for more information on the edgy bags.

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