With people wanting to live more sustainably and having a positive impact on the lives of those that make their clothes and accessories, entrepreneurs Fabi Alvarez and Vlad da Cunha knew it was the right time to launch their social business, Akili.
“Consumers are becoming more aware of the impact their purchasing decisions have on the world,” explains co-founder Alvarez.
“Also, I believe that environmental and social problems are becoming more evident across all information and social media channels we access daily. People want to have a positive impact.”
According to Euro Monitor International, 46 per cent of Australians try to positively impact the environment through their everyday actions. While making purchasing decisions, the Australian ethical consumer focuses on four elements: eco-production, animal welfare, people and values, and circular economy.
Based in Brisbane, Akili―which means intelligence, wit and resourcefulness in Swahili― offers ethical and sustainable products to conscious consumers in Australia. Its concept is centred around partnering with female social entrepreneurs in developing communities to produce handmade products with high positive social impact and low environmental cost.
“In developing communities women don’t have access to the formal labour market. So entrepreneurship is not only a labour of love for them, but it is quite often the only way out of poverty and into economic independence. Also, the number of female entrepreneurs in developing nations is surprisingly much higher than in developed countries.
“In addition, when women grow economically, their families and the entire community benefit. Therefore, I focused on female-led enterprises because they have more social impact. Also, the challenges they face are harder to overcome. And finally, because their products are handmade and unique.”
Indeed, the female entrepreneurs Alvarez met in Tanzania inspired the launch of Akili. “They were passionate, resourceful, incredibly skilled and driven. Despite operating under challenging circumstances, their handmade production processes were as beautiful as their final products.”
Akili brings to Australia shoes, bags, jewellery, homeware and accessories made with natural or recycled materials by female artisans in Brazil, Ecuador and Tanzania.
“Each woman is a community leader having a positive impact on the lives of their artisans and their customers.
“In a world dominated by large corporations and mass-produced items quite often damaging communities and the environment, I noticed that small, women-led businesses were doing precisely the opposite. They were building communities and making unique, beautiful handmade items with minimum environmental impact.”
However, starting a small business during a global pandemic has been incredibly challenging.
“It has been hard to find and engage shipping companies still operating without any disruption in Brazil, Tanzania and Ecuador, all countries hit hard by Covid-19. We had to have patience, cope with delays and always look for shipping alternatives if things didn’t go as planned,” says Alvarez.
“Covid has accelerated the development of online sales channels and this has been generally very good for e-commerce businesses. Post-Covid, I would be considering joining a few street markets to give people a chance to see our products in the flesh.”
While Akili officially launched a few days ago on 1 August, the co-founders were positively surprised by the number of people subscribing to their site even before it launched.
“We can’t wait to start selling. I met the entrepreneurs and visited the enterprises when I worked in Tanzania in 2018 and 2019. I was a fascinated consumer then and I’ve wanted to bring them to Australia ever since,” Alvarez enthuses.
“It was easy to select and get behind these products when you have purchased and used them yourself. We are also planning to expand our product range with the launch of made in Australia exclusive items.”
