The Egyptian environment, the Latino zest for life and plenty of talent could easily summarize the success of Malaika, a luxury brand of bed linens, loungewear and unique caftans.
When Margarita Andrade left Ecuador to visit her childhood friend Goya Gallagher in Cairo, she never imagined what lay ahead of her. “When I first arrived in Egypt, I went shopping for bed sheets and found nothing I liked. Most of the sheets were plain cotton ones mixed with polyester so I realized there was a definite niche for a luxury brand. We started off with a hundred hand-embroidered sets of pure cotton sheets that we sold from a friend’s house to test the market. And it worked! We sold everything. From then on, we increased our production and started to export to Latin America, England, Dubai and now in Turkey. Beyman will be carrying our line in their department stores and in their new outlet due to open in the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo in March,” Margarita explained.
Malaika offers something original and unique as far as design and quality are concerned. A great deal of work and research goes into the design. Both Goya and Margarita are involved in the choice of design. “We look into a culture, a personality, a color, a flower, a tree, an animal — whatever catches our fancy and we allow that to be a source of ideas and creativity,” Goya said.
The first sheets were embroidered with naive colorful flowers; the naive phase soon gave way to a Japanese phase of exotic butterflies, dragonflies, bamboo and blossoms. Goya and Margarita also jokingly recall how they also went through a ‘mother and grandmother phase’ during which they got inspiration from the of clothing and fabric they had inherited!
Their current bestsellers are the blossom, the bamboo and the aerodynamic dragonfly! Yet Goya quickly points out, “There are different tastes in different places which is great for us! Arabic cross-stitched designs sell very well in England but not in Egypt. Our designs are constantly changing and even when we have a bestseller, we keep improving it. We have a loyal group of customers and they are always looking for something new.”
The need for innovation combined with successful collections have prompted them to expand into pajamas, bedrobes, dressing gowns and home accessories such as 100% linen table cloths, hand towels, tray mats, pillow cases, cushions, duvet covers, laundry bags, slippers and clothes hangers. Malaika is also launching a unique collection of caftans. “Not the traditional caftan at all! It is elaborate but definitely not ethnic!” Goya says.
In addition to the commercial side of their successful venture, both Goya and Margarita are pleased about the social impact the business has had on their female embroidery staff. Margarita who is in charge of quality control tells how she met many talented and creative women who were working in other fields. She gradually set up training sessions ranging from three to six months and when the women reached a certain standard, they were given the opportunity to work from home. “I now have a group of 50 women working from home. They are proud of the quality of the work they are doing and they are happy to have the opportunity to work as much as they want to and whenever they want to without leaving home. By giving them work at home, we are not disrupting their family life or their social life. The women in fact feel more motivated because they are not restricted by working hours. And since one can embroider at any age, we are empowering older women. A 60-year-old woman can embroider very well! In the end, everyone is happy and this creates a beautiful environment.”