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Rita Bunatal is the founder & creative director of The Malaika Collective (formerly known as Malaika Apparel Co.), a Pan African lifestyle brand. Envisioned in the spring of 2015, Rita Bunatal started to create apparel designs that were inspired by the happiness, pain, frustration, joy, anger and excitement she felt in the midst of not only being a 1st generation African, but also as a black woman living between the U.S. and Ghana. As a Communications Major, she was inspired by various misrepresentations of the narratives surrounding Black bodies in the media, as well as the misunderstanding of each other within the diaspora . Since the launch of Malaika Apparel Co, her work has been featured in BuzzFeed, The New York Times, Blavity, HerCampus & Essence Magazine. Through this brand, she hopes to change and reshape the dominant narrative surrounding Africa.
Formerly, she worked in Marketing & Innovation for SheaMoisture Hair Care at Sundial Brands where she helped launch the "How To" video series, along with award winning collections such as the Red Palm & Cocoa Butter collection, Coconut Custard collection and Manuka Honey & Yogurt collection. Additionally, Rita Bunatal was also a Marketing Manager at Come Back Daily, the world’s first CBD wellness center and experiential retail shop in NYC committed to bridging the gap between the consumer and the product.
Rita holds a B.S. in Communication Management and Design with a Corporate Communications focus and minors in African Diaspora studies & Communication studies. She identifies as a Ghanaian - Kenyan American & a Pan-African womanist. She also spends time exploring the complex identity formations of young Africans who continue to live between Africa and the United States. She was also recognized for her work with viral photo campaign during her sophomore year in college -- The Real Africa: Fight the Stereotype. The campaign dispelled common stereotypes about Africa and was featured on CNN, BET, USA Today amongst many others. She was also named a Future of Ghana 30 Under 30 Pioneer in 2019.
Rita continues to do work & create art that explores the complex identity formations of young Africans who continue to live between Africa and the US.
