Founder Spotlight: Helga Douglas (Svala)

Helga Douglas

Company:
Svala

Business Description:

Svala is a line of luxury vegan bags and accessories handcrafted in LA from fabrics such as Piñatex® (made from pineapple leaf fiber), cork and recycled plastic bottles.

Startup Stage:
Bootstrapped

Location:
Los Angeles, USA

What led you to where you are today?

After being unable to find exactly the kind of animal-friendly, sustainable handbags and accessories I was looking for, I decided to create my own. I wanted to create a line of stylish, versatile products, ethically and locally handcrafted using the most innovative, vegan fabrics I could find and offer them with without the traditional retail mark-up.

What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?

I think having a strong marketing strategy in place is almost as important as the products that you make.

What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with

I don't have experience with starting a plant-based food business but I have a lot of experience testing them out so I am happy to provide any feedback from a consumer standpoint. I am also happy to discuss my journey in starting an animal-friendly, sustainable fashion product business using plant-based materials.

How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?

I am excited to connect with other members of VEGPRENEUR and have a space to bounce ideas with a like-minded community.

Fun fact about you:

I love playing the saxophone.