GET ACTIVE PLAIN & SIMPLE! WITH HILLTOP by MUNA

Shopping for activewear can be challenging at times. For a day at the gym or a run outside, the right attire is important. Clothing can give you the comfort and confidence to better go about with your activities.

“Hilltop by Muna”, is a local brand by a young aspiring designer and entrepreneur. Muna has made her idea to reality by working relentlessly. She shared her journey with us at Ka Leo.

Muna Rilwan, launched her brand “Hilltop by Muna” targeting those who love simple and plain design concepts just like her. Muna, who works full-time as a graphic designer has had an aspiration to start-up and build something of her own.

“I am a simple person and I am a firm believer of the ‘less is more’ philosophy, it was my goal to make affordable comfortable workout wear.”

As more people are opting for a healthier lifestyle, the need to find comfortable workout wear has been on the rise. Online shops and retailers who merchandise workout wear are always short of sizes or are either too loud or bright.

Hilltop by Muna sells activewear for both genders through their online store. Their active wear line for women consists of a short sleeve top, long sleeve top and a specially designed longer length top designed modestly. The men’s wear include a base layer leggings, a short sleeve t-shirt and as short. Besides this, the brand carries a fine front-zip sports bra.

“The products have been selling quite fast. Our active wear line “Move by Hilltop” is the very first active brand in the Maldives. The products are all designed by me. Last year we were about to launch the brand when Covid-19 hit which delayed a lot of things we planned so adapted. This was when we designed face-masks and launched our first collection Breathables. This was a hit among customers too”

Breathables are the lightweight quality reversible face masks by the brand. These automatically became a test product for customers who were eagerly waiting for the launch of her Activewear collection and closely following Muna’s social media campaigns. Just like the activewear the masks came in minimal, simple and clean designs, making them suitable for any skin color.

“I have worked hard to make this a reality. The lock-down helped me a lot as it gave me a lot of time to work on the brand.

I have worked on taking the photos and creating the content and design for all social media. It took a lot of time and effort but I did not want to give up on this”

After the successful launch of her activewear line, another addition to the growing product line was their Simply Earth Collection’s “Eco me tote”. It is made of durable canvas fabric which makes it last a life time. Similar to the masks this bag is also reversible making it suitable for everyday wear.

As the Maldives is planning to ban single-use plastic the need for alternatives to plastic has become more important than ever. Hilltop by Muna ensures and sets the priority to make their products sustainable from the very core.

“Sustainability is one of our core values. Giving back to mother earth is something close to our heart.  By helping people change their behavior we are being part of their journey to become environmentally conscious and this gives us a lot of pride”

Having had this chat with Muna we are proud to bring the story of all the hard work and effort she has put into kick-off a start-up. According to her, she is a simple gal but we see her as an inspiration for young entrepreneurs and those who are keen to enter the fashion and garment industry.

“In the future, I hope to expand, to increase our product range and produce a more inclusive size range”. That is her goal and we at Ka Leo give out a big whoop for Muna!