Janiqueel is enamored with the vibrant prints and colors and ethnic-inspired designs from a small family business.
“This time has given me the opportunity to reflect on the importance of family. We’ve slowed down, learning some patience and gratitude along the way.”
Anjali Harjani, founder of Malabar Baby
More than a brand, Malabar Baby is committed to social responsibility as they produce charming cotton pieces from natural materials. Malabar Baby’s design process begins by sourcing the finest and most sustainable fabrics available. Malabar Baby believes a large part of the sustainability movement begins with sourcing responsible raw fabrics from the start. In an effort to be as eco-conscious as possible, Malabar Baby partners with factories that use recycled water to ensure the most responsible and environmentally friendly practices are enforced on a daily basis.
Malabar Baby’s products are designed to softly cuddle babies and enhance the aesthetics of caregivers. In a phone interview with Anjali, she explained the ‘ethos’ of her company and that she was inspired by her early life in the USA, as well as her family’s roots in India and time spent in the business world of Hong Kong. Malabar Baby exudes multiculturalism. Anjali’s Asian roots inspire Malabar Baby’s thoughtfully detailed prints and designs. Their products are made for all, as Malabar Baby believes organic products should be accessible and affordable for everyone worldwide which is why they haven’t raised prices since inception 3.5 years ago. Malabar Baby’s products are the definition of affordable luxury and their commitment to keeping prices affordable is something truly special that can be appreciated around the world.
Hand-blocked prints are Malabar Baby’s signature style as they echo Anjali’s early experience with batik printmaking and fabric design in India. In appreciation of the multinational provenance of their designs, Malabar Baby’s collection names are evocative. Cairo, Erawan, Fort, Greenwich, Kyoto, Miami, Pink City, Provence, Seminyak, and Southside just to name a few. A quick glance at Malabar Baby’s line, including their blankets, swaddles, hooded bath towels, robes, and wearable blankets is enough for anyone to see that Malabar Baby is the lifestyle brand we’ve all been waiting for – they’re something richly redolent of its provenance.
Making the best of a bad situation, Malabar Baby recently introduced a sustainable line of certified organic facemasks in their top two-bestselling handmade prints, Pink City, and Fort. Malabar Baby wanted to find a responsible use for their leftover fabrics. The masks are crafted from the off-cuts of, mostly, their wearable blankets. “Waste not, want not.” Could be a mantra of Malabar Baby and of the ethos it espouses in designing and manufacturing high-quality, reasonably-priced high-end products.
Part of Malabar Baby’s world view is a commitment to giving to NGO’s like Feeding India and providing essential baby items to public hospitals in New York City that receive limited government funding.
Referencing the dire situation that we, the world’s citizens, face in 2020, Anjali offers a quote from Jumpa Lahiri that offers apt advice as we power through ahead: “Rather than interpret this malady, resist it. Stay home, connect through conversations. Let words become pathways to new spaces. Let them prevail over our isolation. Let them be the air that we breathe.”
Thomas Paine said, “My Country is the world.” Malabar Baby and Anjali, its founder, could very well say the same.