Handmade fashion and decoration products have become very popular in recent years. We can say that it has recently influenced increasing awareness of zero waste living trends. While organic or handmade products appear more and more, we see that the demand for these products has increased rapidly. As part of the Sustainable Growth Program powered by Hackquarters in partnership with HSBC, Hackquarters team is aiming to create the ecosystem of startups working in this area. Mana is one of the startups accepted in the program, operating in exactly this area. Mana aiming to create a brand of organic and chic accessories. Offering many different products from accessories to decoration, Mana seems to be making its mark in the coming years.

What is your first name?

Damla

Welcome, Damla! What is your surname?

Ozenc

What is the name of your startup?

MANA

What is the website address of MANA?

thisismana.com

Where is your startup based?

Turkey

What are your targeted verticals for your startup?

Sustainable Fashion and Home Decoration

Tell us what your startup does.

Finding meaning in "the supernatural forces within" with different women from the same earth, with a setup to improve women's financial and mental development and while doing so it does not compromise in fair trade morals. Mana was established in 2018 as a social entrepreneurship brand aiming at producing and selling environmental-friendly sustainable products.

Tell us about your team.

Mana started in 2018 with 3 volunteers but today has a crew of 20+ people that contribute in different ways. We're 14 female and 1 male producer, 6 management and creative team members now.

When and why did you found your startup?

In the days when we had a bad time in Turkey and we often hear news of violence against women, we wanted to do something for solutions. We established Mana in order to support women in areas such as job opportunities, professional competence, social vision, and to reduce violence and empower women.

What are your key and unique features?

Our unique features are being ethical, local and to base on social impact.

What is your growth like?

We started to B2B in this year. We made an agreement on contract manufacturing with a brand and produced promotional products for 2 different companies. We're working with a women's cooperative in these projects. At the same time, we continue on B2C together with 20 women in Istanbul. In the second half of 2020, we aim to start exporting in retail.

Tell us about the numbers that matter to you.

Since the day we were founded, a total of 65 women have made goods with us. Thanks to our future projects, we aim to involve many more women.

What are your plans for next year and the next 5 years?

We're planning to continue doing activities that will contribute socially and economically to the lives of more women in the next year. We're also planning to be on sale at many points in Northern Europe and the US markets.Our goals for the next 5 years is to implement our business model in African and the Middle Eastern countries, to see the awareness that we are trying to bring in the consumer is reflected in the consumption habits, and to see the concepts of fair trade, zero waste, sustainable fashion, slowly made, ethical fashion to begin to take place in the criteria of more people.Our next 5-year plans will be on achieving these goals for a sustainable globe.

Did you receive any investments?

No.