Kati Kaia

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Company: Kati Kaia
Website: www.katikaia.com

More about Kati Kaia

Kati Kaia's Yoga Mat Collections are made from 100% natural tree rubber with a vegan suede top, made from recycled PET bottles and printed with water based inks. Each mat artwork is hand-painted in the studio and then transposed using heat alone, making a beautiful quality yoga mat, with no toxic fillers or 'chemical' smells. The artworks are abstract expressionist pieces, created to inspire and bring pure joy every time you roll out the mat!

The brand have a range of Japa Mala Jewellery, created to inspire your meditations and mindfulness practice. Each piece is hand-made in the Himalayas by an all-female artisan community, supporting them with work and empowering them through a fair wage. Each piece is created using semi-precious stones and seeds, designed to work with your chakras and are beautiful tools to use when setting intentions and in meditation.

Key information

Online and selected retailers.

Contact information

Website: www.katikaia.com

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 02080585318

Veganism

Are all the products your entity (business, brand, organisation) produces and/or retails suitable for vegans? If no, then, unfortunately, you cannot register as we only accept submissions from 100% vegan entities.: Yes
Which of the following best describes you (professionals and sole traders) or your organisation?: Plant based

Ownership

Is your organisation an independent business/brand or a corporate owned business/brand?: Independent
Are you a Grassroots organisation (for projects, charities/NGOs)?: No
Are you a BAME (Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic) owned/run business/organisation?: No
What type of business/organisation are you?: Company
Are you a woman-owned/run business/organisation?: Yes

Social, Economic and Environmental Justice

Which social, economic or environmental justice causes does your entity (business, brand, organisation) support or promote (e.g. through social media posts, donations, attending protests and other direct actions etc.)?

Anti-slavery

Climate justice

Environmentalism

Feminism and gender justice

Refugee and asylum justice

Racial justice

What do you do to support or promote each of the causes you have identified?

For every mat sold we donate to Rainforest Trust UK, who are working hard to counteract the radical effects of climate change through the buying of land for conservation projects around the world, including the UK. We actively promote these issues through our social media channels and actively join the movement to change gender and racial inequality.

Does your business/organisation have an ethical labour policy or code of practice (either formal or informal) which ensures fair labour practices?

Yes

Do you source products and/or ingredients from companies and suppliers that support fair labour practices?

As much as possible

Environment and Sustainability

Overall, how many of the products that you produce and/or retail, or ingredients you use, are certified by the sustainable production certifications listed in the question above?: Many (one to two thirds)
Do you reuse, recycle and/or donate any waste products (e.g. food, plastics, packaging etc.)?: Yes
Do you only use recycled or recyclable materials for packaging?: Yes
Is all of your packaging biodegradable?: Yes

Energy, Transport and Distribution

How many of the products you produce and/or retail, and/or the ingredients you use, are made in the country in which your entity (business, organisation) is based?: Some (less than a third)

Ethical Banking

Does your business/organisation use an ethical bank or building society?: No

What was the motivation behind your business? What did you want to change in the world?

I started Kati Kaia as I wanted to bring art, creativity, meditation and beauty into the long-neglected yoga market. Coming from a design background, I found it difficult to find a brand that I could trust their practices, trust that they had thought about the things that mattered to me in production like workers rights, know how things are made and also had exciting, beautiful designs. I wanted to give back to charities I love and create a brand for good. I have lots of plans, with my background in design, but first I was drawn to the base, to reflect beautiful artworks in such a personal and immersive use and create a yoga mat to fall in love with every time you roll it out, with a beautiful touch.

Who is the team behind your business?

At the moment we have scaled back following the pandemic, it's a very difficult time to have a business, very. It is me, Kati and sometimes I have a digital assistant, Scarlett. My Dad is very active in helping with the business and is a wonderful sounding board for my ten billion ideas!

What one thing about your business would most surprise us or is not known outside of your team?

Hmm, I don't think there is anything! We share everything, that is actually one of the pillars when I started the business, to be honest and open. We use the saying 'Find Your VICE' which stands for Vision - Inspiration - Compassion - Empowerment - and when making decisions I ask simply does it have VICE? Not to produce for the sake of producing, does it bring something special to the market, we just want to wow and make our customers happy every time. I also do wrap all the gift wrap orders myself, I'm a perfectionist gift wrapper!

If your business could be granted one wish, what would you wish for?

Awareness and spread the joy of yoga and creativity!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us about your business?

We hope to inspire you and spread joy through the sanctuary of yoga and art. Through prayer and meditation, we can create a ripple effect of peace in the world.