FEARLESS FRIDAY: Meet Mahlet Seifu of Me.Tu Style

November 1st seems like a great day to start a new project. I want this portrait project to be associated with stories of empowerment and inspiration – hence the name FEARLESS.

The blog series is about inspiring women who have developed their talents and creative passions in unique ways. My hope is that their stories will encourage others to do the same FEARLESSLY.

I’d like to share these unique stories and a sneak peek into the lives of a select few artists, entrepreneurs and other inspiring creatives with you on my blog on the first Friday of each month. Each profile will feature their stories as well as portraits of them taken by me.

So first up is the beautiful and talented – Mahlet!

I was in the right place at the right time at Unique Beauty Spa in Ottawa – my first time in a salon in the city. Mahlet walked in after leaving work early to make a special delivery to the salon. Something she said she had been putting off for quite some time. It just so happened that the day she stopped by was the day I was sitting in the chair. Everything certainly happens for a reason.

She was bringing her one-of-a-kind designs to showcase them in the shop. I introduced myself and one thing lead to another.

I found out from working with her on our nighttime photo shoot in Ottawa that she is a designer, a business woman, and an agency model! I asked her if she would be interested in sharing her story with us and I’m so glad that she graciously agreed. Enjoy her inspirational fearlessness in today’s feature!

A special thanks to Vino Shan, an incredible Canadian makeup artist that collaborated with Mahlet and I on this project!

Tell us about what you do?

My name is Mahlet Seifu and I am the founder and designer of Me.Tu Style.

Me.Tu Style is a collection of purses and clutches which features eye-catching, one-of-a-kind designs. It is modern and versatile, and showcases striking and unique hand-made ethnic fabrics.

My passion for fashion has always been something I have pursued in all aspects. Working as a Stylist for Fave Magazine and modeling with a local agency, Models International Management, are just other ways I get to live out my passion for fashion.

When I am not immersed in the fashion industry, I spend the majority of my time as a business consultant. My background in business has helped me tremendously on getting started on Me.Tu Style.

How did you get started doing it – what inspired you?

Me.Tu Style was founded in 2012. I got started a year before that when I was searching for unique clutches but had a hard time finding one.

That’s when the idea of ‘when you can’t find it, create it’ came to me. At first, it was selfishly for myself but once I got started getting my samples out there and seeing the interest and demand for it, I expanded my vision to create the brand ‘Me.Tu Style’.

The first phase of my project, I spent a month in Ethiopia where I was able to find unique hand-made fabric to create one of a kind clutches. I also wanted to use my vision to create an opportunity to give back to the community and charity back in Ethiopia. I was able to employ a skilled tailor and take a percentage of the sales of my clutches to give to a charity there.

The 2nd phase of my project, I have gotten more involved in creating the clutches myself. With lots of sewing and design courses under my belt now, I am happy to be hands-on and execute my design ideas right away when they come to me.

I get some of my inspiration from what is out there; in fashion, trends and the seasons. However, the other times I am inspired by experimentation, trying something new and see if it works.

What are some ways you overcome adversity or fear?

Most of us are afraid of the unknown or failure and to overcome any adversity, you have to be passionate, committed and confident about what you are doing, as well as surround yourself with the right people.

If you have the passion and commitment for what you are doing, the drive you have to see your passion come to life will outweigh the fear. So for me I focus on succeeding, staying positive and ambitious.

I know it is essential to stay confident and not to give up due to any adversity, because those difficulties are what I learn the best lessons from and they help me grow.

The challenges and obstacles I have faced through out the course of creating my business has thought me something new, and most importantly they have helped me re-set and re-energize my passion.

It is important to surround yourself with the right people.

By that I mean, business minded people and positive people with a can-do attitude.

You can learn from other people’s experiences so I make an effort to connect with other business minded people and listen to their stories and learn from their experiences as well. Ottawa is great for collaborating with other local business owners here.

These are resources you build over the years you can leverage when needed. People support each other here, so it makes it easier on someone starting a business to overcome adversities once you make the connections.

You also need to ensure you surround yourself with positive people with a can-do attitude.

Fear can stem from negativity within you or from outside negative influence. By surrounding yourself with ambitious, positive people that have your best interest at heart, it can influence you greatly when it comes to supporting your vision or making decisions. You can eliminate the source of fear from negativity by surrounding yourself with the right people.

Any advice for others that want to follow on a similar path?

If I am giving advice to anyone who wants to start their own business, I would say create a plan, believe in yourself, challenge yourself, do your due diligence and be patient.

Just about every type of business, whether it is a small business verses the large enterprise business that exists out there, they all started with a business plan.

Without a plan you will have difficulties determining the direction of your business. You also need to do your due diligence; learn about the business you are getting into, who are the other players, does the same business exist out there and what makes yours uniquely positioned.

Look for available resources for you to leverage and find a mentor to guide you and advise you with your key decisions.

Once you have business aspect figure out, it is important YOU believe in YOURSELF. There will come times you will be challenged and you need to sell your business to others.

It’s almost like you need to have your ‘elevator pitch’ prepared ready to go.

Before you can sell anything to anyone else, you need to believe in your own vision.

Challenging yourself will help you grow and reach a new level. This means getting out of your comfort zone and maybe taking some risks, however the outcome will be worthwhile and if it’s not, it is a learning experience to keep improving.

Lastly, I will say be patient. There is no recipe for overnight success when you are building a business.

It takes time and it will be lots of hard work, but if you have the passion and commitment as I mentioned before you are setting yourself for success.

 Name your 3 key sources of inspiration and how they help you create or stay positive.

My 3 key sources are: personal ambition, role models and family.

One of my inspirations to create is my personal ambition to create something new, or selfishly it is something I like.

As a stylist I see many different designs, most of the time some of the designs are not re-inventions, designers at times are adding and updating what already exists. So for me the unique aspect of my designs are the fabrics I use for the clutches.

Creating one of a kind unique clutches and allowing people to represent their own personalities inspires me to continue to create unique products.

Using your passion to give back to the community is a great source of inspiration for me.

I look up to someone like Model Liya Kebede who started out as a model and with that fame and fortune she takes time to lead charitable causes and also have her own design label. So for me, if I can keep creating clutches and the proceed I give to charity helps the community, I am inspired to continue and doing even more.

Last but not least, my main source of inspiration that helps me stay positive is my family. They have always encouraged me, supported me and challenge me to be better. My dad always says to me the ‘sky is the limit’, and he is right. I know I can accomplish anything I put my mind too.

With passion, commitment and perseverance, I believe anyone can push ahead to achieve their goals.

Thank you for sharing your FEARLESS story, Mahlet! You are so talented and inspiring.

Keep in touch with her via her website.

Makeup by Vino Shan.