KOCHI: We live in an age where sustainability has become the need of the hour. Be it food, travel or shopping, it is important to know how each of our activities can contribute to the planet. Malai, a sustainable fashion label based out of Cherthala is a community with a similar vision.
Founded by Slovakia-based Zuzana Gombosova and Malayali Susmith Suseelan, the two-year-old brand makes accessories from organic leather sourced from coconut waste. “I had worked with something called Bacterial Cellulose while studying in London and I wanted to explore the possibility of growing this biomaterial on water from mature coconuts. Susmith found the idea of turning coconut water waste into solid material intriguing as well,” says Zuzana, adding that his Kerala roots helped them ease into this concept more.
She believes that sustainable shopping is yet to become a mainstream concept. “Majority of people still look first at the price rather than the sustainability aspect. But the young generation thinks differently. Most of our fans are 20-35 years old and they want to know where the product comes from and how is made–integrity is the most important aspect of business here,” she says. However, coming from a different part of the world, she does notice the difference in buying patterns between the west and India. According to Zuzana, this may be a result of higher disposable income with people in the west as compared to here.
The label that sources coconut and banana waste from local farmers has now come up with a crowdsourcing campaign to keep the road to nature-friendly consumption going. Introducing equipment, procuring raw materials during rainy season and logistics are costing them a fortune. “There are seasons for growing and harvesting and we have to work with those. Working with small-scale farmers can also create difficulties during the rainy season when roads get flooded and it’s difficult to arrange transport.” The campaign which is running for another 26 days has already managed to raise 62 percent of the desired income. “On one hand, it is a good way for us to get smaller funding for buying equipment we need. On the other, it is a great opportunity to test what is real demand for our products among customers. The response so far is good I would say,” says Zuzana.
The core team that spends most of its time on product research and manufacturing has prepared a collection of accessories - bags, backpacks, wallets, pouches for the crowdsourcing campaign. Buyers can get them at discounted rates. Also available are two collaborations with 3 designers from the Czech Republic, creating organic leather sandals and bags that can be recycled to plant indoor plants.
The brand soon plans to branch out, to a wide range of utilities by stabilising their production and introducing newer technology. The crowdsourcing campaign has another 26 days to conclude and eco-friendly fashion enthusiasts can reach them on the Instagram profile @malai.biomaterials.