Enterprise: Myga
What makes them special: One of only a handful of brands around the world to offer kids’ yoga products, Myga is determined to improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Claudia Price and her husband, Jordan, shared a desire and a dream to create something together. Combining Claudia’s love for yoga, meditation and holistic health with Jordan’s entrepreneurial mindset, product development expertise and years of import and sales experience enabled them to conceive and launch Myga, an eco-conscious wellness brand with yoga as its core business.
The venture is very much a cross-border operation. It was founded in the UK in 2017, Claudia is based in Austria, her head of art is based in London, and her graphic designer works from Australia. “We also have our own office in China, which means we are able to control the supply chain and choose the most sustainable supplier,” Claudia explains. “Where possible, we try to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by encouraging our staff members to work from home.”
“Private life and the experiences you carry will always influence your business mindset.”
One aspect of Myga’s offering is a vegan café, and all Claudia’s products and packaging are vegan, too. “Being sustainable as a business is very dear to us,” she avers. “It’s challenging and there is always work to do to become a greener business. We avoid using plastic as much as we possibly can – we use shredded old boxes instead of bubble paper.”
Much of the inspiration for the brand came from Claudia’s extensive travels through Asia, which helped her gain new perspectives and redefine the meaning of her life. “Private life and the experiences you carry will always influence your business mindset,” she explains. “For me, it all goes hand in hand, there is no separation, it’s all connected. For example, looking at Myga’s product range, I can see that most products mirror my travel experiences. Our first yoga mats were printed yoga mats from our Jordia Collection (Jordan and Claudia), with nature-inspired designs. The Surfboard Yoga mat was inspired by my time in Bali, the Himalayan Salt Lamps from trekking through Nepal, the round Mandala Yoga mat had a painted picture…which I bought in a market in Delhi, in India. The Buddha statues in our Yoga decor range have their connection to the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini, where I have fond and hilarious memories.”
The biggest lesson Claudia took from travelling is that you must grasp the moment, not wait for the perfect time or the perfect something. ‘All we have is now’ is her favourite quote and has become Myga’s slogan. “Those five words have so much meaning,” she says. “A reminder that both the past and future are illusions and only the present moment is what you have. That mindset influenced a lot of decisions within the business.”
Claudia is determined to steer Myga away from the mainstream yoga trend, with its fast fashion, instead focusing on thoughtful design and creation. Her priority for the next couple of years is a children’s wellness range featuring Miss Molly, a ‘moo-ditating’ cow, as figurehead and inspiration. “We feel that there is lots of work to do regarding children’s physical and mental wellbeing,” Claudia says. “We are very excited to contribute with our product expertise to this movement.”
This article first appeared in issue 40 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine
