Luisa Konga is the founder of YOGA KONGA a sustainable company for yoga clothing and accessories with a focus on African Yoga. She teaches African Yoga and is also a mechanical engineering student.
She founded her yoga athletic wear based on the premise that she could no find any yoga clothing with an African print easily and decided that this was a niche she could occupy. As a black woman in business she faced a lot of challenges like discrimination and racism. She admits that the German start up scene is very male dominated and many people do not notice that she is different or the cause for her missions.
“The German start-up scene is absolutely white-dominated and many white people do not deal with their being white because being white is seen as the norm. Many white people do not deal with racism either because they are not affected by it. This can lead to very ignorant and hurtful / degrading statements and beliefs that one encounters as a black person, not only in the start-up scene, but in all areas of life.”
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Luisa talks about her product being sustainable by the fact that she used certified organic products and she makes sure that no plastic are used in the manufacturing of her items of clothing.
“Sustainability is very important to me. The world does not need a yoga clothing company that produces “conventionally”. It is important to me that the people who make the clothes have secure jobs, that they are paid decently, that they can receive sick pay and have normal working hours.”
She works solely by herself as she does not have staff yet but she hopes this situation will improve over time.
Luisa hopes that the future is bright. She hopes that every person, regardless of social conventions and gender roles, does exactly what they enjoy. Professionally as well as privately. That we humans respect each other, just like nature.
Source: YOGA KONGA