MALA
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to set up Mala Belfast?
We are a small team of creatives and designers with a shared passion for sustainability, who have come together with a simple idea: to create minimalist, multi-functional bags.
Katie Ireland: In 2019 I decided to co-found MALA, a business designing and making local, sustainable and functional pocket-bags, because sustainability, local design & industry and creative business are some of the most important things for me. As the Managing Director I wanted to build a team of creatives working to make design-driven products that have a positive environmental and social impact
Samanta Radek: I decided to co-create MALA because the core idea behind MALA of sustainability, local design and social impact aligned with my core values as a designer but mostly as a human being. As Head of Design at MALA the idea of creating alongside like-minded individuals is what inspires me to design.
Rachel Okungbowa: I decided to co-create MALA because sustainability is important to me, when the opportunity to create something uniquely desired by many, a solution to a growing problem, a fashion Item that aims to inspire social impact, I just knew that MALA was for me. As head of marketing, I aim to find creative ways to promote our pocket bags and more, while expanding our customer reach by developing new marketing strategies that can attract a diverse range of customers to our business.
Can you tell us a bit more about what you do at Mala Belfast?
We started Mala because we believe that beautiful accessories should be affordable, practical and eco-friendly. We create products that make your life better without making the environment worse. Our bags are designed to be made with zero-waste pattern cutting and to be durable and long-lasting, unlike those created by the current fast fashion model of ‘planned obsolescence’.
What/who influences/motivates you?
We’ve come across a few brands who have similar ethos to ours and support sustainability. We are inspired by the various different ways brands are incorporating social impact into their business. It helps remind us that there are people out there who support the slow fashion movement and want to protect the environment, which is something we are really passionate about.
See the brands we support and inspired by below;
Veja
Lucy and Yak
Titanic Denim
People Tree
House of Sunny
What has been your biggest hurdle and your proudest moment or accomplishment with your business so far?
Our biggest hurdle I would say is after the global pandemic hit, we were denied our original Santander funding, this did set us back a little bit as we desperately searched for alternative funding.
However, after investing some of our finances into the business we pushed on and was able to finally secure a small grant thanks to Santander UU student support grant to help us officially launch our business on 1st July 2020, we had put so much effort into launching and be able to see it through, I would say that is our proudest moment up to date.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
The main goals are to continue making more stylish functional bags for everyone, to incorporate some social impact into our business, and eventually to own a studio that we can use to develop our work further, this would be the dream!
What do you enjoy outside of work?
Going for walks around the Titanic Quarter and taking awesome photos. Meeting up for coffee/treats and catching up on our daily lives.
How do you try and maintain a work/life balance?
Katie: Hahahahaha No, seriously what is a work/life balance? I think sometimes it’s hard separating the two because with what you’re doing is your passion and your hobby and you do it for fun as much as for work it’s really hard to see where work ends and free-time starts.
Rachel: Being organised helps, keeping track of work and making sure your tasks are done within the timeframe set. It is so important to put some time in for yourself, self care is a big YES and you don’t want to burn yourself out from work.
Could you give some advice for any young, emerging entrepreneurs?
It’s never too late to learn, as individuals and as a team we are always learning new skills. We have learnt so much from business pitch competitions, and online mentoring, while taking it upon ourselves to learn new skills that can benefit our roles in the business.
To be determined and believe in your idea, if you don’t who will? despite a global pandemic and not having access to funding, Mala was still able to push on and launch officially in July 2020, and we are still determined to grow further.
Appreciate your supporters, Mala have been thankful for the people we’ve met along our journey and those that have supported us from the very beginning. It’s alway important to show your appreciation by thanking them or even giving them a shoutout on your socials.
How can people find you?
https://malabelfast.com/ - website
https://www.instagram.com/malabelfast/?hl=en - Instagram
https://www.facebook.com/malabelfast - Facebook
https://twitter.com/MalaBelfast - Twitter
https://www.linkedin.com/company/mala-belfast - LinkedIn
MALA crowdfunding https://ulster.hubbub.net/p/malabelfast/?fbclid=IwAR20FY4pE-X4rcgoa4iY7nJJGtkpphrj05-EG-SAOn8a70_9a4svQMRKSDw