Joe Malaika brings bright and vibrant fashion to Boston

LYNN – Born in Uganda and calling Boston home, 36-year-old Joe Malaika delivers sleek and streamlined dresses, always with his signature band of black sequins.

“My family is here, and a lot of my clients are here, and I believe, you know, Boston has a great reputation for fashion. It’s just that people don’t know where to get clothes,” Maleka said of why he calls. Boston House. “I find that people here who really love fashion, have their own place to go, and our job as designers is to love to change that.”

In Lynn’s workroom, Malaika says he learned sewing from his grandmother. But it was at Bentley, where he studied marketing, that he designed a dress to impress a girl. When she posted on social media, the name came up.

“Color is really my thing. You know, clothes are everything everyone is talking about today, like, you know, social media. Everyone wants to show off what they’re wearing on social media, and colors come out right, so I want to make sure that they represent that.”

Malaika said he wants to enter as many stores as possible. “Many people look up to me, so I want to share my skills, my grandfather’s legacy.”

During the year, he presents several “excessive fashion” shows and raises money for the Jimmy Fund and Dana Farber. He was recognized by the Commonwealth for giving back.

Boston’s past and present came together in January when Malaika was invited to design creations for the “Velvet Party” at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

“What I love about this concept and this space is that even 100 years after Gardner’s death, we have creative people using it as a platform and reinterpreting things to honor her legacy, and she likes to be a contemporary designer. Museum curator Diana Greenwald will be a part of that.”

“Isabella was all about colors, and I felt I did a good job bringing out Isabella Stewart Gardner about everything,” says Malaika. “This is the new Boston. Anyone who says no to Boston fashion, please look for Joe Malaika!”