She left her job at JP Morgan to create her own yoga clothing line: she already plans to export to Chile, Peru and Colombia
For many years, Leonardo Mustafá El Abed , from Mar del Plata, strictly followed the traditional mandates. A public accountant graduated from the University of Buenos Aires, he began his career at IBM. Shortly thereafter he moved on to consulting firm Ersnt & Young and investment bank JP Morgan . In the latter he worked for 10 years, the first five in Buenos Aires and the last in New York.
Although his life was what he had always imagined, there was something that didn't quite convince him. Recently moved to the neighborhood of Brooklyn, at the height of the hipster scene, he discovered the existence of an infinity of brands with a purpose .
"It changed my mind. I saw a lot of companies that were looking to improve the world we live in and I realized that this was what I wanted to do from then on, " he says.
Around the same time, he had resumed the practice of yoga that had begun years before in Argentina, although this time with a much more spiritual vision. In that reflection that enthusiasts of this discipline do systematically, he realized that until then his entire professional career had been developed to follow a family mandate, and out of ambition and ego .
He then decided to dedicate himself fully to the discipline that had contributed to changing him as a person. He thought about opening a yoga studio, but - true to his business background - he quickly ruled it out because of the limited reach he might have .
It was at that moment that he came up with the idea of returning to his native Mar del Plata and creating Luleå, a clothing brand designed specifically for the practice of yoga . It was a clothing line that did not exist in the country and that in other markets, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, moved large amounts of money.
" We formed the company in 2014 with an initial investment of US$100,000 and in 2015 we already started the first sales in a showroom set up in Palermo and through the digital channel," says El Abed.
triple impact
The company was conceived from the beginning as a B company . To do this, the entrepreneur contacted Patagonia, which helped him learn the parameters to become a responsible corporation with triple impact. In 2017, Luleå achieved System B certification.
"We promote fair trade and support the workshops that work with us to have everything in order from the legal and tax point of view. In general, they are family micro-enterprises, in which a mother works with her daughters ", he details.
The brand grew by more than 300% in its first years of life . To do this, he relied on a system of resellers - mostly yoga teachers - while expanding his own distribution network.
The clothing , explains El Abed, achieved great acceptance because its design is designed with the movements of yoga in mind . In addition, it prevents the transparencies that usually appear when other types of sportswear are used in some postures, something that especially bothers female practitioners.
"We offer designs with prints very typical of this world and flat seams, which prevent the skin from being marked or hurt ," adds the entrepreneur.
Currently, it has four stores located in Recoleta, Martínez, La Plata and Mar del Plata . In the latter, they also have a specialty coffee and their own yoga studio. Soon they will open a new branch in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Chacarita.
Last year they were selected by Banco Galicia and the Mayma accelerator to enter the Escalar el Impacto program . With them they developed a business plan that would allow them to expand the brand in the region.
" Our idea is to reach Chile, Peru and Colombia first . For that we need US$300,000 of investment. We are in talks with sustainable funds, but if we don't find the right partner, we will move forward with our own money," he closes.
