Hello All,
Wow, what a way to kickstart my blog again ! Writing up a post feels like a distant memory, but I am glad I still have this platform to communicate with you all.
For those of you who do not know, last Year I went on a very unforgettable trip to Europe with my husband. It was our honeymoon, and although we did a lot of sight seeing, there were just a few places in Paris we just had to go…
Amongst all the sightseeing we did in Paris, there was one extra special place we planned a visit to @malhiakent
Since we just celebrated international women’s day over the weekend, and the fact that Malhia Kent was ranked 3rd most successful company managed by a women in 2012 ( by the BNP/Women Equity Group), I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about the amazing boss lady @evecorriganmalhia behind it all. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Although we met her just briefly with a “bonjour”, reading through her biography and the history of the business has inspired me as a young woman. (Am I still considered young if I’m pushing 30?!)
Before Malhia Kent, Eve was an international model! She then moved onto developing her own collection, and soon after, taking over the Malhia Kent company. She became a textile engineer which allowed her to design software and introduce cutting-edge machinery to the business. She has accomplished many wonderful things in her time at Malhia Kent and today we are dedicating this post to her, to recognise her ongoing passion and innovative ideas ! The company was originally created in 1987, by Michelle Sorano, who was a “long term Coco Chanel collaborator”. They were well known in the high fashion luxury world for their high quality and unique tweeds, to this day they still create one of a kind weaves for Chanel, among many other ready to wear (PRÊT-À-PORTER) and couture designers.
Entering the Malhia headquarters at Villa Labrouste was like stepping into Yarn heaven for me ( ask my husband, he’ll tell you ). I mean, firstly, the exterior was so beautiful you almost didn’t want to walk in until you’d taken the time to appreciate the façade. As we made our way up the stairs and into the studio we could see a loom in one corner, rolls of fabrics in the other, on the left – a whole wall with shelves of colourful yarns and right in front of us, a beautiful sunlit area with rows of unique woven headers. All of these beautiful fabrics made 100% in France. I am very thankful that we had the lovely Anna attend to us on the day we had our appointment, she was kind enough to allow us to go through these and pick swatches for our S/S 20 collection, which at the time was just a few images and scribbles on my mood board. It was such a delight to be in a space buzzing with young designers who were so enthusiastic about their work.
I am grateful that Eve has opened the door to young designers such as myself, to have access to such innovative weaves and one of a kind textures. If I am being honest, this new collection of mine is based purely on the gorgeous fabric I chose from their range. It has sparked so many creative ideas and has been such a pleasure for me to finally embark on yet another Design journey for Ratavosi the label.
I cannot wait to bring your fabric alive in my work, and I most certainly cannot wait to share our new collection with the world.
Like most incredible things, it takes time, but that is something which we are working on every day, to ensure Ratavosi becomes a special part of every women’s wardrobe.
If you’d like to read more on Eve’s journey and Malhia Kent, please see below useful links which I referred to :
https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/17186/1/7-for-all-mankind-x-malhia-kent
Much love,
Rhaya @ Ratavosi the Label
RHYversusWORLD | The Life of Rhy 