Walt Disney once said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” Caroline Malagar is an example of that. She used to work in a bank. She used to spend a lot time talking of doing something she loves.
“I have always loved fashion and designing. I knew this was something I wanted to pursue. I remember that this was my favorite pass-time during my high school and college days.” She added, “Although I did not graduate with a degree in fashion, I involved myself in different creative pursuits such as designing fashion accessories, branched out into a career as a design consultant for lingerie but, it was having my own clothing brand and making it that appealed to me the most.”
Caroline was finally able to do that in 2004, where at the age of 25, she opened Lava, her own clothing brand at The Maze at the Third Level of the Ayala Center Cebu Mall. She recounted, “It was that call from Nadine Gonzales (of Collage & Seeds) in December 2003 that gave me a chance to be in retail. MAZE wasn’t launched yet and it was a concept for (the young) and starting entrepreneurs like me who have not or did not want to risk that big a capital for business to start with.”
She added, “I remember choosing the smallest and most conservative investment that MAZE offered. I occupied a 3 sq.m. wall module and I named my shop LAVA.” Caroline bit the bullet, borrowed Php50,0000 from her father and used her savings to finally start work on her dream.
When asked to describe her store, she answered, “LAVA offers trendy and classic fashion for the hip and modern woman. I am completely involved in product development and manufacturing so I try to come up with as many designs as possible. We aim to give our customers a variety of items to choose from and definitely value for money.”
Lava soon took off and was able to expand by adding another wall module. In 2006, Lava became the showcase store window of the entrance of The Maze now occupying a total area of 20 sq. m. Caroline is not done dreaming. She is busy planning on finally putting up her own boutique.
Caroline is an example of the power of dreams. She told me, “I learned that it is the constant pursuit of your dreams that is most important.” She added, “I am lucky to have realized early what I wanted to become and just like anything, it isn’t handed to you all at once, in a silver platter. In fact, I would call this a realization of a dream-in-progress. I know there’s a long way for me to go, a LOT of things still have to be done before I finally reach my goals but, until then, I hope people will still patronize LAVA the way that they have.”
Carl Sandburg, the American poet, said, “Nothing happens unless first a dream.” What is your dream and what are you doing about pursuing it? Let’s follow the examples of these ordinary individuals as they strive to make a difference. Each week, lets all get together and share knowledge, stories, experiences, information, all for the sole purpose of getting One Step Up.
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