What do you do?

I am the founder and director of artistic fashion label Mahka. My role is to gather designers, and more generally artists, together, and mix their identities with my style.

How does your business work?

Mahka combines art, fashion and music under one roof. From clothing and trendy accessories, to vinyls handpicked by DJs, we offers limited edition and exclusive products at an affordable price.

Every fashion collection is made in collaboration with an artist, spanning various mediums. You’ll find everything from photography to music, writing and street art.

Mahka is a crew of artists with their own lifestyle. Our first collection had the slogan: “We don’t feed the pigeons”. It is a symbol of freedom, without any prejudices. It is the idea of converging everyone who consider that self-expression important. And this can be achieved through lifestyle, without violence or negative interests.

Our fashion gallery on Wa Lane in Sheung Wan also plays host to the “Fauve Radio” show, recently voted by public the best radio of Asia/Middle East and Africa on MixCloud.

How did your business get started?

The idea to create a fashion brand started when I was a teenager, but I didn’t know the what, the where, or the how. I just want to start a movement, and create a community that was more than just a brand.

I always knew that I wanted to work with artists, so Mahka came very naturally to me. The first collection was designed in collaboration with my brother, a street artist based in Paris.

Who are your customers?

Mahka talks to real people all over the world. Our customers vary, depending on the artists we are working with. They are mostly creative and trendy people from Hong Kong and beyond.

What’s a day in your working life like?

Every day is kind of different. I don’t have a daily routine, but there are a few things I must do. For example, I will communicate with customers, keep a look out for new talents and any kind of arts, and follow up on current productions.

Sharing my passion and being attentive is a daily operation. But this is something that applies to life as well as work.

Where do you see your business in the next five years?

I hope that Mahka will connect more artists together in different part of the world.

An elevator convo with Maguelone Calmels. See here for more from our Next Up series.