MULXIPLY Collaborative

Pronounced “multiply”, our collection of modern accessories and gifts are created by designer Tanja Cesh in Portland, Maine and made collaboratively with fair wage artisan groups in Kathmandu, Nepal. While the collection is modern, our entire collection is made using ancient techniques in an effort to keep heritage handicraft alive. By partnering with artisans in Nepal, we are also employing a sector of society that is frequently marginalized in Nepal. Partnering with them provides dignified opportunity, an above fair wage and access to the western marketplace. While we are on the other side of the world from our team 11 months out of the year, our hearts are bound by our love for craft and the belief that by elevating art and artisan we can indeed make the world a better place.

MULXIPLY launched in 2012 with a small collection of hand-felted bags that were made in collaboration with a fair trade artisan group in Nepal. Since then, the team has grown to 6 groups in the Kathmandu Valley all which specialize in various handicraft — from apparel and accessories to hand-felted gifts. MULXIPLY currently pays an above fair wage salary to 29 people annually with seasonal help from women working from the home in villages along the rim of the Kathmandu Valley.

MULXIPLY has a specialized niche in the fair trade sector in that while we utilize ancient processes to create our collection, our designs are all contemporary appealing to the modern, minimalist. In 2019, we broadened our collection to collaborate with emerging designers in Nepal, providing them exposure and a sales channel to the western market. Our collection is currently sold nationally in curated boutiques, museums, and other retail channels that value how a product is made. MULXIPLY shares a retail space with another women-owned business -- Campfire Pottery on Washington Avenue in Portland's East End.

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Founder(s), CEO and/or President Tanja Cesh
Tanja Cesh is the founder and creative director of MULXIPLY (pronounced “multiply”) a sustainable fashion brand which collaborates with artists and craftsmen/women in Nepal to produce a modern collection of apparel, accessories, and hand felted gifts. Tanja launched MULXIPLY in 2012 after spending nearly 20 years in the design and fashion industry. Motivated to understand the root-cause of modern-day slavery and the role that fast-fashion played in it, particularly in South East Asia, she left her job in 2010 and spent 4 months overseas with various artisan groups, relief agencies and non-profit groups listening to their stories to further understand the important role that dignified employment plays in keeping both men and women out of the vicious cycle of modern-day slavery. As a designer, Tanja sought to understand the solution that the arts could play in elevating the artisan out of poverty and the important place that indigenous craft plays in many of these societies. She spent hours sitting alongside artisans learning about raw materials and heritage techniques native to their country. Her current role is Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director. Tanja lives and works in Portland, Maine and spends one month out of the year in Kathmandu, Nepal working with her artisan partners to ready upcoming collections.