Community Highlights: Meet Helga Douglas of Svala

Today we’d like to introduce you to Helga Douglas. 

Hi Helga, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I founded Svala as I was unable to find the kind of sustainably made, animal-friendly bags and accessories that I was looking for, so I decided to create my own. After searching the globe for the most beautiful, eco-friendly, and durable materials, I found an amazing, local manufacturer in Los Angeles and got to work on building out the line. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
At first, I had a lot of trouble finding great, vegan fabrics to use for the Svala line. I went to multiple fabric trade shows in Los Angeles and visited various suppliers but was unable to find anything I was really excited about. Thankfully, my sister found an incredible, eco-conscious Italian vegan fabric supplier and my mother discovered Piñatex®, which is an innovative fabric made from pineapple leaf fiber, so I was lucky to have my family help me in this way. As the fabrics they found were so great, it really gave me confidence to continue the process of creating Svala. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Svala products are made locally in Los Angeles with innovative, European, PVC-free fabrics such as Pinatex®, cork, and BioVeg. 

Piñatex® is a natural, innovative, and patented new material, made from pineapple leaf fibers gathered by partner farming cooperatives in the Philippines. Piñatex® fibers are the by-product of the pineapple harvest, which brings new income streams to subsistence farmers, allowing them to fully utilize their crops. No extra land, water, fertilizer, or pesticides are required to produce the raw material. 

Our cork fabric is sourced from Portugal, which is known for producing the world’s most beautiful cork. Cork, the bark of the cork oak tree, is beautiful, waterproof, stain resistant, and durable. The harvesting of cork is done in a sustainable manner so that no tree is damaged during the process – the harvesting actually helps the tree absorb CO2 and therefore the environment. 

BioVeg is an innovative vegan fabric made in Italy with recycled polyester from plastic bottles and bio polyols, obtained from non-food and GMO-free corn crops. This fabric contains at least 75% biomass from renewable resources – one of the highest percentages available on the market. BioVeg is the result of years of R&D by our Italian supplier who are committed to developing high-tech, sustainable fabrics. 

We recently partnered with Ecologi so that a tree is planted with every Svala order. We are very excited about this partnership as we are always looking for ways to support our reforestation efforts. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://svala.co/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/svalaco
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/svalaco
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/svalaco