Mayura Kona: Designer and Founder

Mayura wanted to use her education, privilege, and design talents to do something good for humanity, to improve the world in which we all live in. From this desire, One Thread Fair Trade was created. She works directly with the artisans not only to produce beautiful products but also to improve the confidence and self-worth of the women involved. She says she will never forget the day when she paid the women their first round of fair wages. “I walked into the workroom and was met with eyes overflowing with tears and hearts brimming with hope. My life was forever changed.” Her deep passion and commitment to women’s empowerment is the soul of the organization.

As a designer, she is inspired by patterns, whether it is the arrangement of roof tiles on a house or the veins of a maple leaf.  She believes that great design must start with a pencil and paper. “There is an intangible quality that you achieve when you begin the design process with your own hand drawings, without any use of technology.”

Mayura believes the path to true happiness lies in bringing joy to the lives and hearts of others.

She holds a BA in Design/Media Arts from UCLA and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.