As the daughter of a professional seamstress, Mayra Amaya has felt comfortable behind a sewing machine since she was a teenager. Today, she uses her creative eye and passion for eco-friendly design to create a line of fun, functional and sustainable sewn accessories for the Happy Bear Company.
Amaya launched the Happy Bear Company in 2016, after making a few simple tote bags for herself, and a customized baby bag she designed while expecting her first child. Not long after that, she began exploring other specialized baby products, including blankets, bibs, burp cloths and diapers. Her creations started to capture attention.
“One friend liked my bag so much he ordered one,” she says. “Friends and family seemed to like my products, so I decided to try to sell them.”
From there, Amaya gradually expanded her product line, while still focusing on sustainability and waste reduction. Today, the Happy Bear Company’s best sellers include large dual-sided baby blankets, washable flannel wipe sets and utensil carriers.
In addition to fashioning functional, reusable goods made with natural and sustainable fibres, Amaya reduces textile waste by incorporating repurposed fabrics and scraps into her designs. And if those Earth-friendly efforts aren’t enough, she also makes all her product packaging more eco-friendly by using paper products that are easily recyclable.
Shop eco-friendly fashion accessories at happybear.ca
This article appears in the June 2023 issue of Edify
This content was produced to support the Edmonton Made community. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Edify staff.
