Inder Bedi Of Matt & Nat
[ 5 March 2009 ]
I was introduced to Matt & Nat a little while ago by some clued-up nonpareils! After mentioning their company on my site, my friend made an introduction, & gave me the opportunity to ask Inder, the director of Matt & Nat, a few questions about his business, his vision & why he does what he does! I thought you might be introduced in hearing about his point of view, so without further ado…
Name: Inder Bedi
Age: 35
Location: Montreal
What is Matt & Nat’s vision?
We aim to strike that delicate balance between being fashionably creative and innovative while being conscious of our choices affect our environment and all its beings.
I heard a rumour that Matt & Nat’s very earliest beginnings came from a personal dare to go without animal products for 30 days! Obviously that month had a major impact on you. How did those 30 days begin to reshape your life into what it is today?
Those 30 days totally changed my life! Was asked by a priest to go vegetarian for 30 days when I was 18. It ended up sticking after the 30 days, learned more about vegetarianism, animal rights and eventually went vegan. Led to me to write a business plan in university (for a class I tried not to take!) as a frustrated vegan consumer that wanted items that were eco/vegan but still innovative and sexy, this led to the founding of M&N.
What is the creative process like for you? What are the steps between an idea in your head & a bag on someone’s shoulder? Do you work alone or with a team? Do you design with a certain type of person in mind?
We have a great design team of 4 including myself. We basically soak in everything out there from music to architecture to art to interesting things that inspire us in travels along with some trends in terms of colors, bag styles and then come up with our own thing, that hopefully stands out amongst everything else out there.
Like to describe our customer put there as someone ‘who is looking for more’, going beyond traditional demographics. Innovation is a big focus for us as well. All of our linings are currently made out of 100% recycled water bottles that look like suede.
Who would you love to see rocking Matt & Nat style?
The Dalai Lama! Ha!
What are the biggest challenges you face?
We are distributed in some great stores which is the tough part in terms of ‘breaking in’ in our industry. The challenge now is to ensure that consumers who pick up the brand also know what it stands for as when they do find out, it’s a great bonus, awareness is now key for us…
What is your absolute favourite thing about what you do?
The first would be the creativity aspect whether it’s a new material, new style or new hardware etc., when you work weeks on a style and it finally turns out the way you want and you know it’s going to be HOT, it’s very rewarding!
The other are the emails we get from customers who thank us for creating a product that they not only love to rock but also appeals to their inner spirit, also very rewarding :)
Can you tell us any secrets about your next range?
We’re stepping up the recycled water bottles and taking them on the outside shells of the bags, a suede collection for women and felt for men, both made completely out of recycled water bottles
What is Samsara all about? Curious minds want to know!
Samsara (rebirth in Sanskrit) are the younger siblings to M&N (Sam et Sara), the price points will be more entry level. For each bag sold we will donate $1 to a charity through an interactive web site where consumers can actually go and choose where the money goes. Will launch in Canada for spring and the U.S for fall.
What hints would you give to people who want to become more eco-conscious, but don’t know where to begin?
There are several sites that offer starter kits for vegetarians as I’m sure there are for people who want to be more green. Goveg.com offers some great starter kits and stats on the environmental benefits of going veg. Guess the key is initially making little changes in your life and building from there.
Tell us which other companies you find inspiring & why.
Love it when companies find a way to show you that you can be fashionably fierce and still have a higher conscious… Fisker Rama (ex designer for BMW, Aston martin) just designed an electric car that is a piece of art… it’s a pretty materialistic example but is damn beautiful!
Who is your favourite author?
Don’t really have one, currently reading The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma.
What’s in heavy rotation on your headphones this week?
My sales manager turned me on to trentemoller, wicked stuff…
If you could invite anyone to dinner, who would it be & what would you serve?
I would invite YOU and serve you a bigger mac and mac n’cheese catered from Madelaines. Staying in L.A. this week and had dinner there last night, one of the best vegan restos I’ve had the pleasure of dining at…
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