Rita Bunatal Wins Ithaca College Student Business Plan Competition

2016 Apr 27

A clothing company founded and run by Ithaca College senior Rita Bunatal took home the top prize at the third annual Ithaca College Business Plan Competition.

Malaika Apparel was awarded $20,000 for the first-place finish. It was also the winner of the $500 Audience Choice Award.

Bunatal is a Communication Management and Design major with a concentration in Corporate Communication and minors in African Diaspora Studies and Communication Studies. She created Malaika, which means "angel" in Swahili, to "deliver a message of empowerment for people of color and bridge the gap between Africans and those in the diaspora."

Though born and raised in Texas, Bunatal relocated with her family to Ghana in 2008, where she attended high school. Her clothing line currently features several styles of shirts with designs symbolizing and celebrating black pride and empowerment.

"Our company functions as both an apparel brand and a form of social justice," she says. "The brand promotes a sense of intersectionality - the study of the overlap of different social identities in relation to systems of oppression."

With the $20,000 prize, Malaika plans to expand, with Bunatal continuing to serve as chief executive officer when she graduates in May.

"We are hoping to start ethical and sustainable partnerships with fashion designers on the continent to create designs that incorporate authentic pieces from the continent," said Bunatal. "We are also working on shipping to Africa, Canada and the UK as our audience continues to expand transnationally."

The Business Plan Competition is open to all current Ithaca College students and is free for anyone to enter. Students are eligible for mentoring and may elect to enroll in "Ideas Into Action," a School of Business course designed to help students turn an idea into a viable business plan.