Happy birthday, mara mea: 5 exciting facts from 10 years

For mara mea's 10th birthday, we're taking you on a journey through the company's exciting history – from a fashion label for moms to a lifestyle brand for women and men. How did it all begin, what were the biggest challenges, and what crazy coincidence brought Dorina and Wolke together? We'll reveal 5 facts you probably didn't know about mara mea.

Fact 1: Dorina's career as a fashion designer began at age 11

Even at that age, mara mea founder Dorina knew that she would one day run her own fashion label. She inherited her passion for fashion and styling from her grandmother, with whom she always got to try on dresses, shoes, and more as a child. With an aunt as an illustrator and a grandfather as a painter, creativity has always been in the family. Later in high school, Dorina's plan remained unchanged, and she spent every free minute drawing figurines and doing internships with tailors. After graduating from high school – despite top grades and other career recommendations, but also with a lot of family support – she went straight to design school.

Fact 2: The foundation for mara mea was essentially laid during her studies

After extensive research, Dorina chose ESMOD in Berlin for her university studies, where she enrolled in the "Stylism and Modelism" program. In three intensive years, with many night shifts, internships, and trade fair visits in London or Milan, she learned design and tailoring from scratch. And even during her studies, she met her future mara mea co-founder Maren, who coincidentally also came from Dorina's hometown in Hesse and had always dreamed of having her own label. While Dorina initially focused on women's fashion after graduation, Maren specialized in children's wear. During a later meeting and joint brainstorming session, the two combined their experiences and ideas and realized that there was a lack of a label for stylish everyday companions for moms and moms-to-be. Thus, the idea for mara mea (ABOUT US - mara mea) was born, and within a very short time, the first nursing dresses and diaper bags were launched.

Fact 3: During Covid, mara mea sewed masks from fabric scraps

2020 marked the most challenging period for mara mea to date. In addition to the production and delivery difficulties caused by Covid, Dorina continued mara mea without Maren during this exact time and had to coordinate the Berlin and Dieburg locations. The question of whether she could lead the company through the crisis alone was a big one. However, with a well-coordinated team behind her, especially the wonderful production team in India (production), optimism prevailed. And from this extraordinary situation, a new product even emerged at mara mea: nose protection masks made from fabric scraps, which brought a little color and style into the difficult Covid everyday life.

Fact 4: Wolke discovered mara mea when buying a diaper backpack

The demanding period was followed by what was probably the biggest surprise for Dorina and mara mea: the beginning of co-ownership with Wolke. Dorina had only known Wolke from television, from her favorite childhood series. Suddenly, Wolke walked in as a customer – after realizing when ordering a diaper backpack for her son that the mara mea office in Berlin was only 900 meters from her apartment – to visit Dorina. The two immediately hit it off, so Wolke immediately shot the next mara mea campaign and traveled with mara mea products in her luggage. This was followed by a joint special bum bag collection, the proceeds of which Wolke donated to a good cause and which sold out immediately after its launch. It quickly became clear that mara mea should continue with bum bags and also with Wolke, who was already a well-rehearsed team with Dorina after their joint projects. Since 2024, the two have been running the company as co-owners, thereby initiating a new chapter at mara mea.

Fact 5: mara mea bags become a whole community

Quite unintentionally, mara mea has evolved from a label for moms and moms-to-be into a lifestyle brand for all women (and, with the new unisex designs, also for men) of all ages. The bum bags, in particular, have become a recognizable feature that brings people together and creates a sense of community. Dorina and Wolke receive daily messages and pictures from customers showing where they are going or for what occasion they are carrying the bags. Sometimes these are even difficult situations, such as chemotherapy, where the bag brings a little joy & lightness. To conjure up this sparkle of joy in everyday life with practical and special products is exactly the vision Dorina and Wolke continue to have. Where the product journey will lead remains completely open. So you can look forward to many surprises at mara mea over the next 10 years.