With designer and brand manager Maria Maláková about building a successful brand, raising a daughter, and Czech design.
Born in Chomutov as the middle of three children, she started working as a product designer at Presco Group during her studies at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM), where she, among other things, focused on designing calendars, diaries, and gift assortments. In 2017, she was at the inception of the Czech brand of school supplies BAAGL in the same company, which she now leads. In the field of product design, she repeatedly belonged among the finalists of prestigious competitions. Her hobbies include the unconventional American sport roller derby (team races on roller skates, editor's note.) or preparing fermented products. She raises a five-year-old daughter with her husband.
Recently, the movie BARBIE, which explores the topic of women's roles in society, was released in cinemas. While on maternity leave, you decided to return to the fast track of the newly emerging BAAGL brand, which you and your colleagues had been building from scratch. What led you to this decision?
It was a beautiful thing that made sense to me. By becoming a mother myself, I suddenly felt closer to the theme of creating products for children and was happy to apply in practice what I had studied. Since it was a new brand that was just shaping up, there was a great opportunity to contribute my own creativity and create the brand according to my vision.
How can you balance building a major brand with caring for a family? Is it about the division of partner roles?
Definitely. It's about an inner setup because I have to be able to sacrifice something from family life. Primarily, however, it is about the support from my husband and family. It certainly also works thanks to the fantastic work team, to which I always love to return.
You have a number of interesting design achievements behind you, for instance, with the urban bike RACEK you reached the finals of a student competition for the best design. Why did you eventually choose BAAGL?
Working at BAAGL fulfills me also because I was there at the inception of the brand and went through several positions. It's kind of my child. Making a mark in the field of Czech design is extremely hard, especially as a freelance designer, for which our society isn't ready yet. Any design work in the Czech Republic is a bit underrated. However, at BAAGL they trusted me and opened the doors to something I could build from the ground up and shape design-wise. They provided me with manufacturing possibilities, finances, and an opportunity, thanks to which I could translate my thoughts and ideas into reality and see real products being made for everyday people. It allowed me to build a brand that had a chance to succeed, with products I could sign under. I'm proud that we're bringing high-quality products to the market, which are now sold on every corner, and even in foreign markets.
What products do you design under the BAAGL brand?
We produce a wide range of products for kindergarten and school – from briefcases, backpacks, and a variety of other school supplies to barefoot slippers. Recently, we initiated collaboration with the Czech shoe company FARE. It's about supporting domestic production, which we are immensely proud of.
Could you describe to laymen the process of creating a new product, a new backpack or briefcase?
When working on a new collection, we primarily try to absorb what the child's soul, for whom we design and produce the products, would want and need. We, therefore, conduct various surveys and research. To develop the best products in modern design, that will appeal to children while meeting the strictest quality criteria, close cooperation between the design and production team is essential. As it concerns products for children, whose musculoskeletal system is still developing, we focus on numerous crucial factors, like ergonomics or the materials used. Thus, the outputs are consulted with physiotherapists and also undergo quality tests by the Institute for Testing and Certification (ITC).
Why would you recommend BAAGL over competing brands?
Behind the BAAGL brand, there's a team of real people, parents, mommy designers, textile specialists, and physiotherapists, who built the brand so their children could go to school with the highest quality products meeting all prerequisites for the healthy development of the child.
The claim of the BAAGL brand is the slogan "Grow up with courage!". Why?
One of the brand's missions is to support children in courage, to not be afraid to be themselves and to have healthy self-confidence. In the past, we also organized several events to support the fight against bullying and cooperate with the Tereza Maxová Foundation for children, for which we created a special limited Teribear collection. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of products from this edition goes to help endangered children.
What briefcase will your daughter use to go to school next year?
My Matylda will certainly have a BAAGL of the AIRY series. It's our newest backpack model, suitable for children from the first grade because it's something between a briefcase and a backpack. It is equipped with a lumbar and chest strap, but above all, it's the lightest backpack in our entire range. Anyone can convince themselves of its qualities in our brand store in Prague 8.
