Mundaya: Handmade bags made 'roam' from the countryside of Santiago de Compostela

Lara Santomé is the face behind Mundaya, a project that was born in 2015 with the intention of creating functional handmade bags "designed for the woman of the 21st century", all from her workshop located in Aríns, in rural Santiago de Compostela.

Six years later, Mundaya presents Devagar, a collection with which she seeks to take "a step further" with a bag that converts into a backpack that, like all of her products, is handmade and with sustainable materials.

“For a small brand, launching something at such a complicated time is like blindly doing a somersault without knowing what is behind or below it,” explains Santomé in an interview with Quincemil.

Thus, this interior designer who rediscovered sewing when she was given a machine in 2010 has sought to capture the entire spirit of her brand in this new collection. "It comes from doing things slowly, enjoying the process a lot, that's why it's called Devagar," she explains.

Origin

Mundaya's adventure begins in 2010, when Santomé, who was working as an interior designer at the time, received a sewing machine with which to resume what she had learned as a child from her grandmother.

“I had never sewn anything serious nor did I imagine that I would end up creating a brand of bags: the machine helped me, in a moment of crisis, to keep me busy and think about other things, but in the end it opened up a whole new world for me,” she says.

The first thing she sewed were some sofa covers, then she perked up with her own New Year's dress and was automatically fascinated by bags. After becoming unemployed and starting to study Product Design, each new subject gave her ideas that she wanted to put into practice… and that is how Mundaya was born.

«The name is from a song by Tim Deluxe: when I was 17 I had a very serious health problem and I had to spend a lot of time without leaving the house, but in the summer of my 18, after having such a bad time, my life changed. totally and I listened to this song everywhere”, he continues.

In this way, the brand name itself seeks to remember "the happiness and good vibes of that summer after having had such a bad time."

"Mundaya is functional bags for today's women, of the 21st century, made here, with love, closely controlling production and working in a sustainable way," says Santomé, who adds that "if it's not functional, it's not Mundaya" .

two . “BEYONCE WEIGHT LOSS DRINK” how to make : boil 2.5L of water and put on stove , add 3 green tea bags , 70g of l… https://t.co/KozoPqAym3

— ur ugly Wed Jun 02 01:51:16 +0000 2021

In addition to this functionality, the brand is also committed to the durability of its bags, working "with durable, highly resistant fabrics, heavy weight and many very tight threads." "Not bulletproof, but almost," she jokes.

wander

The new collection that Mundaya presents this Monday is called Devagar, in reference to the entire creative process, which began last December and in which there was "a lot of experimentation and more sketches than for any other bag."

The result is a collection that consists of a "multiposition" bag, that is, convertible into a backpack, which allows "it to be used in multiple contexts", especially in the face of summer.

“There are convertible bags, but they normally work by repositioning carabiners in different positions: with Devagar it is not necessary, with a gesture with the cotton tape it can be a backpack, shoulder bag, tote bag or whatever comes up”, details Santomé, who explains that, so that the mechanism was not complicated for the user, its design was complicated.

The fundamental material of this bag, without leather and “one hundred percent vegan”, is recycled polyester “that practically looks like cotton”. It can be ordered in two colors: beige or blue, always with four outer pockets and a carabiner to attach the keys.

"For now, the evaluation is very good: everyone applauds the possibility of having two positions," explains its creator, who describes this launch as "a very important bet for such a small brand."

In this sense, Santomé also highlights that, as an artisan, "you always have to think about going a little further in each product and, if you can, going one step ahead."

"With the pandemic there is a greater tendency to buy in the neighborhood, small brands and more special products: people have made an effort and I think that we artisans have to continue contributing and not do the same as 50 years ago," she explains.

In this sense, Santomé attributes this increase in the recognition that artisan work receives to the Fundación Artesanía de Galicia, which "is doing very well supporting creators."

In accordance with her philosophy, the launch is produced with a very small stock that is expanded according to demand.

Devagar can initially be purchased through the Mundaya online store and will later become available at the brand's usual points of sale, which in Santiago are Breca Shop, in the Mercado de Abastos, and Mononoke, in San Pedro.

«Mundaya is having a very good reception at the moment, but I don't want to go fast: my thing is to go slowly and enjoy everything that comes, always trying to go a little further; on a personal level it is very enriching and I am doing what I want to do », she concludes.