KAFTAN(EN) is the result of a product idea that was born in 2015 as I was drying my girls with a hooded towel after their evening bath. I was inspired to create something similar for adults. At the time my product idea was rejected repeatedly and so I put it aside.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic many Finns, myself included, found refuge in cold water swimming. KAFTAN(EN) turned out to be the perfect companion for those quick and not particularly private moments when the cold and wet swim gear needed to come off quickly.

In May 2021 I founded Helgabad.

Helga means holy or blessed in Swedish, bad means bath.

KAFTAN(EN) is made at a GOTS certified production facility in India.

India has a special place in my heart. In the 1960s my grandfather was employed by the WHO to help set up the healthcare system. My grandmother reluctantly joined him, they had already spent two years in Africa, and she would have liked to stay in Finland, close to her daugther and her family. My grandmother passed away when I was very young and so I never knew her. ​

Her name was Helga. ​

This is how the story of Helgabad began and I am honoured that you are here.

Pia Knoester

Founder of Helgabad