Kulukaya Sadiki: My Passion For Women Empowerment Inspired Me To Open Glo- Ray
SOMEONE once said, “Fashion is like eating, and you shouldn’t stick to the same menu.” The fashion Industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world. Kulukaya Sadiki is an unconventional fashion designer who is breaking boundaries in Malawi with her Glo- Ray designs sustainable studio. She started her fashion business in 2017 after realising that it is possible to make a difference within the community and environment using an important aspect of humanity, which is clothing. Her clothing brand focuses on recycled and rejected fabric to create timeless trends thereby delaying disposal and minimizing fabric pollution. The Malawian fashion designer is also a Humanitarian and a Marketing Strategist by profession. She was selected as a Young African Leader for the ‘ Leadership in Business’ cohort for her business skills by the Mandela Washington Fellowship USA, in 2020. Kulukaya shares her inspiring story in this exclusive interview.
Growing Up
Iwas born in 1987 and raised in Blantyre, Malawi and I am a Christian. My father was a creative entrepreneur; sadly he passed away when I was 12. From there on, my mum who did the best she could under the circumstances raised us. Both of my sisters are businesswomen, so you see, the entrepreneurial route was inevitable for me.
I grew up with and around strong women who taught me how to prepare for the world and survive in it. My childhood was normal; I easily made friends and played a lot. The grown up me is naturally an introvert, so you will mostly find me at home if I am out likely surrounded by nature, having one on one deep discussions or simply writing my heart out. My sisters are extroverts, so I guess someone had to be the introverted one and that is I.
I have an amazing, creative and intelligent daughter who is literally my world; I thank God for her. We are an inseparable team. When my dad was alive, it was great and normal; well close to perfect like every other family. When he passed away, my mum had to take care of everything and that was not easy, but she did her best and was strong through it for all of us. I am forever grateful to her for being both parents to us for the past 21 years. I knew I grew up the way I did to make a difference in the world. I knew it, but I did not know how I would do it.
Inspiration Behind Glo- ray- designs
I know it is ironic, but the moment my daughter was born, something was ignited inside
me, and I knew I was created for more. I decided right then and there that I would make a difference in everything I do, and I decided to pursue only business for purpose. As stated by
Wikipedia, the fashion industry is one of the major water, air and soil polluting industries of the world and the environmental damages increase as the industry grows. Small businesses are the least supported globally and the women entrepreneurs that sell recycled fabric are not recognised and are easily exploited.
Fast fashion promotes discarding usable left over, recycled and rejected fabric and almost new clothes, which pollute the earth and it encourages rapid clothes making. This consumes natural resources at production and contributes to taking from nature. The problems associated with the fashion industry and my passion for women empowerment inspired me to open my sustainable studio and to dedicate my life to helping other people in all aspects of my life.
All About “Ladies of Influence” And Its Impact
Ladies of Influence ( LOI) is a female managed Non- Profit Organisation founded in 2017 whose main objective is to contribute to sustainable development in Malawi through humanitarian effort. The organisation’s primary focus is to make a difference in the education and health sectors mainly targeting women and the girl child linked to Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG) in order to achieve women empowerment, considering that this is a pivotal area in relation to global development.
Growing up, I read a lot about organisations like UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, European Union and more and what they did to help humanity. I admired them from a distance, but how was I, a young girl from Malawi, Blantyre, ever going to make a difference in anyone’s life? That question haunted me through the years and it never let me go until I started to act on it.
Purpose literally hunts you down; Ladies of Influence chose me and it is a part of me. I found amazing partners who work with me in the organisation to make sure that all objectives are achieved. They dedicate their time and resources to make sure that we succeed. There would be no LOI without these women, so I am thankful to each one of them for volunteering to work with me.
Why Glo- Ray Design Is A Unique Brand In Malawi
We are a fashion brand that is not only focused on financial performance, but also making a positive impact in society by using an important aspect of human existence, which is clothe. This is done by reducing wastage in our production, working with marginalised groups, and using the three pillars of sustainability in all our supply chain. Our Values are transparency, authenticity, women empowerment, environmental protection, inclusive employment, and attention to detail.
Managing My Role As An Advocate And Fashion Designer
Focus, discipline, determination, and resilience are the four words that best describe me. When I commit to a project, I don’t stop until I see it through.
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