As the concept of sustainability gains momentum, the global fashion industry has raised significant awareness about cruelty-free and animal-friendly practices. However, the sensitivity of the Hong Kong market in this regard is still lagging behind. Fortunately, there are designers in this city who are passionate about fashion and committed to animal rights, actively promoting a cruelty-free aesthetic. As one of the emerging designers at this year's CENTRESTAGE, Rajul Daga, founder of the vegan handbag brand Mir Kash, aims to educate consumers on the importance of vegan products through her brand.

What inspired you to establish a vegan handbag brand in Hong Kong, where sustainable fashion is still emerging?

To answer this question, I want to start with a personal story. Girls first imbibe their style from their mothers—my mom never used leather in her life. In a room filled with women wearing the fanciest luxury accessories, there used to be my mom wearing her simple things yet looking the most glamorous. There was something in her aura, that echoed consciousness. Seeing her, I did not realize when and how, but I also never got into using animal leather either.   However, since I was looking for leather alternatives in my accessories during my early 20s, I saw a big gap in the products offered in the market. The vegan products lacked style, and many items were only 'mostly’ vegan, where the main body might be vegan, but side trims, bases, and handles were all leather.

Here, somewhere, Mir Kash was born. Starting this brand in Hong Kong is a challenge because the vegan interest is small. But what we see is that there are some excellent opportunities that the city offers: logistical connection worldwide, ease of doing business, and proximity to the Mainland, which allows us to do business efficiently and globally. Meanwhile, we are trying to gradually educate the local community about the concept and develop an interest in our brand through innovative designs and very fun and chic branding on our social media.


How do you educate and persuade consumers, who may have limited knowledge, to choose vegan leather bags?

In my view, consumers are still very unaware of the brutal process of skin extraction and leather processing from animals. And so the first and foremost way is to educate consumers. Only then will there be an interest in cruelty-free choices.

Secondly, when you can offer great products with durable quality as well as contemporary designs, you make the shift from traditional products to vegan fashion alternatives easier. This is why our design-to-product cycle for each product is about 4-5 months long, as we only release products that maintain the highest quality.

Do strict material protocols and limited sourcing options hinder your design and creativity?

I would not describe it as hindering, but perhaps the design cycle becomes longer in our case because we need to heavily test new materials for their longevity and quality. Whereas, animal leathers have an available database and perception of their quality.

In fact, there are so many interesting materials on the market that designs are often inspired after reviewing materials. For instance, our upcoming collection is predominantly made from a special version of velvet; the design was inspired after we came across the material swatch, as it’s got beautiful natural hues on it with a soft finish. And so we are creating a mini scrunch bag with this material. Another material that is highly inspiring our design team lately is raffia.


How do you overcome these potential limitations in your creative process?

Patience is key. In fact, in the entirety of running a business, that too in the anti-cruelty space requires you to be patient. Your design sampling might take double or triple the time of others, but you just need to keep perfecting the product till you can deliver a stunning piece to your consumer. 

How would you describe the style of your brand?

Simply put, Mir Kash is a brand for contemporary women who are driven by consciousness.

We’ve tried to break the conventional idea of vegan fashion brands being typical, boring, and inferior and tried to bring a fresh perspective to the concept of cruelty-free fashion. For which, at Mir Kash, we offer impeccably fashionable pieces that are not only wardrobe staples but style-elevating pieces. We want the modern woman to be her most stylish self without compromising on her ethical quotient.

In your opinion, which handbag is essential for a contemporary woman to lead a vibrant and dynamic life?

The ‘Braidey’ is an absolute dream bag! It’s got a beautiful soft texture with a braid-like look. The bag in cherry red is our favorite for this vibrant summer season; the pop of color goes with both neutral and fun looks. Moreover, there’s a metal chain attached to its body, which adds a gorgeous monochromatic shine (and is surprisingly very light-weight).

What’s next for the brand?

For this year, we are introducing new pieces every month, building on our product range. Whereas, from the following year, we intend to introduce seasonal collections that also include pieces using materials not necessarily mimicking the leather look, such as raffia, nylon, and canvas.  As our collection increases, we want to offer different product styles like totes, backpacks, and weekenders.