#073 Tove Grane about her label We Norwegians
Tove Grane is the founder and designer of the Norwegian wool label called We Norwegians. In this episode, Tove shares her story of how she started We Norwegians. Tove explains how wool has always been an important part of Norwegian heritage and how this is reflected in her collection.
About Tove Grane
Tove Grane was born and raised in the fjords and mountains of western Norway (Sogn og fjordane). Tove got her design education at ESMOD Oslo, and has been working in Oslo since the late 90’s for various brands. She moved to Voss in 2010 to work with a ski brand, where she got into merino wool, and decided to make her own brand after the ski brand Tove worked for was closed down in 2013.
Tove is married with a textile man, and he works together with Tove at We Norwegians. Tove has a daughter, who will be 14 this Summer, and a stepdaughter who is 19 and a stepson who is 24.
Connect with Tove Grane here
We Norwegians website
We Norwegians Facebook
We Norwegians on Instagram
Key Time Stamps
[00:54] About Tove Grane
[02:10] About We Norwegians
[04:23] How did Tove come up with the name ‘We Norwegians’
[05:11] About the Norwegian wool heritage
[06:02] Tove’s love for knitwear
[07:05] About the We Norwegian philosophy
[09:54] About the We Norwegian collection
[11:09] Sourcing strategy and supply chain of We Norwegians
[12:22] Traceability of each garment
[13:27] Sales strategy of We Norwegians
[15:33] Who is the typical We Norwegian customer?
[16:33] Challenges of starting your own retail brand
[18:09] The challenges of running your own retail brand
[19:44] The need to educate consumers about wool
[22:07] About the importance of consumers reconnecting to craftsmanship
[23:54] Future plans of We Norwegians
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About the author, Elisabeth
Elisabeth is the founder and host of the Wool Academy Podcast. She also runs her own consulting business where she supports wool industry businesses with strategic communications and project management.
Elisabeth used to work as the Secretary General for the International Wool Textile Organisation where she developed her passion for wool and the wool industry. Her previous education and work experience equipped her also with a broad set of communications skills.
Elisabeth vision is to see the wool industry thrive which is why she supports wool industry businesses communicate successfully.