My story

My name is Kannika, I am the founder of a fashion accessories brand called ‘Mali Collective.’ In Thai, the meaning of my name means Jasmine flower and the Thai word for Jasmine flower is “ma-li.”
I grew up in a small, rural village called Ban-dan in Surin province, Thailand. When I came to England in 2006 to start a “better life”, my dream then, as a child, was to become an art teacher. This was never part of “the plan.” After I graduated from London Metropolitan University in BA Illustration, I struggled with finding my own path. I took many wrong turns and as well doing what felt right at the time. However, I still wasn’t satisfied with where I was going with my life and I felt burned out. Someone then said to me “you can start now and modify later…” This sparked something inside me which led me to start my own small business. 


  • Founder

    “Choose your dreams over your excuses. Your dreams are more exciting anyway. “

 
With no business degree but a big ambition, I started selling my own handcrafted scrunchies online. I then added a small collection of fashion jewellery into the mix because I wanted Mali Collective to be a place where my customers can browse and shop collections of unique fashion accessories. Since I started having pop-up shops at the markets and having my jewellery workshops, collaborating with local businesses, this journey has brought me wonderful memories. I get to meet so many lovely people and I'm grateful for your support. 
At  the beginning of this year, I slowed down and took some time off to refocus on myself. It was important for me to redefine the true meaning of what I want Mali Collective to become because once again, I found myself lost within the small business grind.
I set off to my home country, Thailand and there I met some incredible people. With my limited budget, but a huge optimism, I met with my new jewellery manufacturer and  immersed myself into the culture that I once forgot. Being in Thailand made me feel so alive. I feel inspired by the people, the culture and business community. The most important thing I took away from my trip is that with everyone that I had met on my journey, they’re all working very hard and with so much pride and dignity. I got to meet the CEO of my jewellery manufacturer and we were very transparent to one another especially with our goals and most importantly the quality of  the products. 
My new collection will be arriving next week and I'm very excited to launch them on my website.  Stay tuned.

With love, Kannika x