25 years Mandala: Interview with founder Nathalie Prieger

If you think back to the beginnings of Mandala, what was the moment when you decided: "I'm going to start my own brand for yoga and activewear"?

Nathalie: After 10 successful years in the luxury industry at the time, I wanted to make a collection that had meaning and was based on values. There were no activewear labels yet and I saw that yoga/wellbeing was becoming a big trend. There was no explicit clothing that met the needs of women. That was my moment Mandala Yoga + Pilates Fashion.

What were the biggest challenges you faced in the first few years, both entrepreneurially and personally?

Nathalie: My personal challenge was working with 2 small children. Twenty years ago, there were even fewer daycare places than today, when every child is legally entitled to one. All my earnings went into private childcare, working with a baby on my lap or at night when everyone at home was finally asleep. In terms of the label, the choice of organically produced fabrics or recycled fibers was very limited. I was very limited in the implementation of the Mandala collections, which is much better today.

How did Mandala work in the first few years? Can you share an anecdote from the early days that you still often think about today?

Nathalie: We started in a home office and the warehouse was at a shipping company outside Munich, where I went with an employee for every large delivery and we packed and shipped the ordered goods ourselves. Fashion fairs were popular back then. People exhibited there to find new retailers. Many buyers associated yoga with something like a cult and were skeptical about us. So we started with marketing based on wellbeing, which worked very well. Later, yoga became popular and we were finally able to show our true DNA.

Which challenges are completely different today than 25 years ago - and which have remained surprisingly the same?

Nathalie: Today we are a company with 8 employees in the head office near Munich and I am very busy empowering my team so that they can work well. The bureaucratic requirements, especially for the sustainable certified production of fashion, are too much today. Administrative requirements take up a lot of time that I would rather use for creative ideas. What always remains the same is the fear after each collection presentation of whether the styles will be liked and ordered by buyers or customers. Designing collections in a short space of time that are just right in color and cut 8 months later in the store is still challenging. I never manage to meet all the tastes and demands of our retailers.

Looking back over 25 years: what mistakes or detours were important learning moments in hindsight - and what are you particularly proud of today?

Nathalie: My learning moment: in fair fashion, the possibilities are limited when you're making fashion and you have to make a lot of compromises when it comes to raw materials if you don't want to harm the climate. I am proud that we are a well-known label in the yoga scene. I am also proud to know that we have set a positive example with our textiles and proven that fashion can be produced without harming the environment or exploiting people in the Global South.

Let's fast-forward five years: what is your vision for Mandala, that particularly drives you today?

Nathalie: My vision is that customers immediately think of Mandala when they hear yoga and Pilates fashion. Because I know that we make the perfect fit, stand for high-quality materials and workmanship and have a clean and fair value chain.

And finally: What would you like to say to our customers and the community that Mandala have accompanied and supported us for so many years?

Nathalie: There aren't many decisions that make a difference. But the right ones make a difference. Thank you for choosing Mandala.