La Vie Est Photography
10 minutes
with local taste makers
Kämə/Michele Labuschagne
I
ntention is everything, this we know. So it goes without saying that an intentionally hand-made Mala, picked out with pure intentions (as a gift to yourself or someone else), “is some powerful shit”, as Michele, Creative Director of Kämə, puts it. Intention is their ethos, I mean, the name Kämə literally means “to pause,” to be still and aware. By the way, it’s pronounced “komma”.
Kämə sprouted from the collaborative efforts of Suzi Seha and Marianne Labuschagne. Suzi is a yoga instructor and graphic designer, Marianne (Michele’s mom) the business mind and she is incredibly knowledgeable about essential oils. Together they started out manufacturing small batches of chakra massage candles fragranced with essential oils. Each candle has a semi-precious gemstone embedded in it that correlates with the chakra it’s intended for. “Malas were the natural next step”, Michele says. Kämə paused (pun intended) the production of candles, so Michele took over and redirected their focus. Both Marianne and Suzi remain silent partners. Now if you still have no clue what a Mala is: it’s a continuous string of 108 beads, a guru bead which Michele defines as “the energy centre” and often a tassel at the end.
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