Author: NY Weekly Staff

Nineteen-year-old Yale University Undergraduate Rakel Tanibajeva has taken the fashion world by storm with her launch of LOB fashion. The boundary-breaking company is women-owned and dedicated to protecting, preserving, and advocating for the environment. This certainly comes as a ray of light in an industry that often exploits not only people but resources as well.

Tanibajeva’s timing is certainly admirable — while multitudes of businesses are scaling back or shutting down, she is launching a brave initiative to create high fashion clothing entirely from upcycled materials. LOB Fashion’s first collection consists of dresses and gender non-conforming clothing, which fits right in with their core values of inclusivity and diversity. In addition, the company has made the noble pledge to donate the entirety of their first collection to organizations that aid young people in need.

We were lucky enough to get a hold of Tanibajeva’s Management Team and schedule an interview with the young entrepreneur.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Rakel Tanibajeva. I’m nineteen years old, and was born and raised in NYC. I‘m an entrepreneur and undergraduate at Yale University, majoring in environmental studies. I have been an environmental activist for as long as I can remember, and I love traveling the world and learning about how various cultures engage in sustainability, and how to implement traditional methods into a modern world. I believe that a successful career is based on one’s energy, passion(s), and perseverance, so with that logic, I’ve been pursuing mine since childhood.

What inspired you to co-found Lots of Berries?

I was always passionate about environmentalism. I wanted to continue to spread the knowledge I gathered over the years. For instance, I had the honor of studying sustainable living in Japan for a few months. 2020 has been quite a cautionary tale regarding the consequences of issues allowed to fester, and demonstrated environmental imperative as well as environmental resilience if given the chance. This year of hardship and tragedy encouraged us to find a way to contribute positively and beneficially.

What’s your mission statement?

We see a world in which people can live sophisticatedly, distinctively, and sustainably. Therefore we provide the tools necessary to make high-quality, sustainable living a reality, from clothing, to decor, housing, and food.

What are your plans for the future?

Due to limitations posed by the pandemic, we are currently focusing on “LOB Fashion.” Every individual has the power to collectively enact change in their everyday actions and way of living. We want to do whatever possible to reach people and make a positive impact despite the challenges. Thus, we are in the process of establishing our media platforms, like YouTube and TikTok, so people can learn more about us and possibly adapt sustainability for free and from the comfort of their homes. As this global situation hopefully subsides in the near future, we are excited to expand our endeavors and implement more material plans, like building a workshop on our beautiful land in the Catskill Mountains, NY, leading classes, and manufacturing eco-friendly products.

The Chief Executive Officer of Inkas Vehicle LLC based in the United Arab Emirates has said that the pandemic is the reason they have not launched their operation in Nigeria as they promised they would in 2020. Due to the scourge of the Coronavirus pandemic, the launch was put on hold.

“We were ready to launch the factory and start operation in 2019. But as you know the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone’s plans. But we were obliged to adapt to the current situation, adopt a new business model and postpone the grand opening,” said Ulugbekhon Maksumov through the company’s spokesperson.

Speaking further on the pandemic, the spokesperson adds, “The COVID-19 pandemic has divided the business behavior into before, during and after, and for sure Inkas Vehicles has been hit by the given situation as well. Mr. Ulugbekhon has chosen the way to keep promises to the clients as pandemic threats are still there and to take good care of his team members by arranging for them a safe environment to live and work in. We are not going to be talking about single charity cases in which he gets involved as a personality as he doesn’t really like to make it public. He does it for himself, not for acknowledgment.”

On the question of the vaccines given skepticism and criticisms that have greeted it with some of the population of the world expressing doubts about the real intent behind it, Mr. Ulugbekhon Maksumov opined that the issue is a personal one.

“I believe it’s a personal choice for everyone. We all have the right to believe in it or not, we have the right to choose which one of it to prefer over another, and we have the right to decide when we want to proceed with vaccination once we are sure of its safety. I just hope there will be no legal enforcement in getting the population vaccinated,” he said.

Inkas Vehicles LLC has become a world leader in the production of first-class armored vehicles that are certified in accordance with international standards.

The wide range of specialized products includes luxury armored SUVs, sedans, buses, armored personnel carriers, cash-in-transit vehicles, and a range of special purpose vehicles used by governments, military companies and individuals, VIPs, and international organizations

Born September 9, 1979, Ulugbekhon Maksumov, grew up in Margilan, Republic of Uzbekistan. Now he is a successful entrepreneur – CEO/Founder of a number of companies, including Inkas Vehicles LLC, well known for manufacturing armored vehicles in Dubai, UAE with a revenue of 300 million dollars yearly.

In 2018 it was recorded that Maksumov net-worth was “100 million dollars” and the brand Inkas is recognized across Middle East, Europe, and some parts of Africa like Ghana and Nigeria.

He started his journey as a supply chain manager in 2002/2003 at GM Korea before moving to Dubai where he achieved his dream and eventually broke into the UAE marketing chain, dominating the armored vehicle’s terrain.

There are two ways to learn in life — they either learn from the guidance of others in educational systems, or they try to learn on their own. Most people take the educational route as they feel more reassured that someone with experience in guiding them. However, some prefer to take the other route and learn with their own experience. Nona Malone is one of those who relied on their intuition before studying to become a professional. She has so far been reaping the rewards, publishing her own cookbook titled Hello Cookbook.

Nona Malone, like most chefs, showed her passion for the culinary arts when she was young. She was influenced by watching people cook, observing how her family, restaurants, or television programs. Nona would then apply what she learned and go through trials and errors to perfect her craft.

Even as she grew older, the desire to create dishes she and others would enjoy. Nona’s career would see her become a model and later a musician. Her job saw her traveling across the country and exposing her to culinary practices from the different cultures of the people she met. While her two ventures saw her earning, she still held a great affinity for the culinary arts. Whenever she had the time, Nona would still cook for herself.

Eventually, Nona felt that it was time to pursue her passion. Fully aware that she lacked professional training, Nona enrolled at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan, to get the guidance she needed. While studying, she found her skills improving and learning about various recipes for all kinds of dishes. Upon completing her studies, Nona started taking her cooking career more seriously.

Since then, Nona Malone has gone from being a self-taught chef to a professional one. Her culinary career has taken her to great heights and has even given her the opportunities to prepare meals exclusively for celebrities. While she has achieved her dreams, Nona feels that she could do even more. She decided to take her knowledge and share it with the world by writing her own recipe cookbook. 

The cookbook is titled Hello Cookbook and contains a wide array of healthy menus of recipes. The cookbook acts as a guide for anyone looking to broaden their knife sharpening and cooking skills, whether they’re beginners eager to learn or veterans looking to expand their choice of dishes. Nona Malone takes inspiration from all the people she met who taught her new dishes or improved the ones she already learned. Hello Cookbook features American soul food, Italian, Jamaican, keto-friendly, vegetarian, and even vegan phenomenal, desserts, and breakfast ideas. 

Since releasing Hello Cookbook, it has become a New York Times bestseller, making Nona Malone the first model & musician to become a professional chef and author. Nona’s works are incomparable as the unique recipes she published are the first to be shown anywhere. 

Nona Malone has gone from being a self-taught amateur chef to a professional one with a published cookbook. Her next goal is to create a mega brand and eventually host her own multi-million culinary show.

To learn more about Nona Malone’s book, you may visit her website.