Malaika was founded in 2004 by Margarita Andrade and Goya Gallagher who, after growing up in their native Ecuador, ended up living and settling in Egypt. With a background in design and a keen interest in embroidery, crochet and hand-drawn thread work, they decided to utilize Egyptian cotton to produce high quality bed linen previously not available in the local market. Since the launch of its first collection, the brand has been flourishing: In 2009 Malaika built its own factory, enabling absolute control on quality and craftsmanship, and in 2018, it opened its own embroidery school.