| Danial Norjidi |
LOCAL Muslimah fashion company Mumtaz Collections is looking to venture abroad, with the brand targeting to export its products to a number of regions around the world.
Mumtaz Collections already has a presence abroad, with its signature fashion items including headscarfs, shawls, skirts, blouses and more gaining good traction in Malaysia. The aim, however, is to venture even further.
In a recent interview at their boutique in Batu Satu, Mumtaz Collections CEO Syedah Siti Sarah Haji Syed Anayatullah Shah shared that while Mumtaz is already doing well both in Brunei and Malaysia, with a presence in Putrajaya, Selangor and at concept store Modvier in Kuantan, further expansion to more overseas markets is very much the target.
The targeted markets are other parts of Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle-East and Japan.
The company has come a long way, having started with a capital of just RM300, which is close to $100, selling fashion products bought wholesale from Malaysia. The response in Brunei was positive, and Mumtaz Collections has since gone on to grow further.
Mumtaz Collections CEO Syedah Siti Sarah binti Haji Syed Anayatullah Shah at the boutique. – DANIAL NORJIDI
“Since August 2011 we started designing our own headscarfs, shawls, skirts and so on,” shared Sarah. “The first and most popular was the Aishah Shawl.”
“My husband designed the Aishah Shawl. It is usually just a rectangle shape, but he designed one with a curve. So we went through and tried different materials and processes, and it is now very successful.”
She shared that production for this is done here, while the material is ordered from abroad. In addition to its physical store in Batu Satu, the brand also a website for online shopping.
With Mumtaz Collections’ presence in Malaysia at Zuna in Putrajaya and Modvier in Kuantan proving to be doing well, she highlighted that it is a good idea for other local fashion brands to go abroad and to sell at such concept stores.
“It’s much easier and less hassle,” she said, noting that it gives access to a larger market.
The brand also recently featured in Singapore when they participated in the Tampines Hari Raya Bazaar, courtesy of an opportunity provided by the Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (EIDPMO), with the support of DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MoFAT).
Sarah said that it was a good experience and noted that the Singaporean market had responded well.
On future plans, she shared, “We have an invitation to open up a store in Dubai and in Paris as well.”
Expanding on this, Sarah’s husband, Haji Md Sabri bin Haji Suhaili, who is the company’s Operation Manager, shared, “We’ve been invited to penetrate the Paris market through an online store. They cater more to the UK market as well. We are still in the process.”
The venture in Dubai, he explained, is a collaboration with a physical store.
Sarah added, “We are also looking into Doha. There are even more invitations from Manchester in the UK and Japan.”
On how far this is from becoming a reality, Sabri said, “We are very likely to do so. I’d say 70 per cent confirmed, because that’s part of our strategy. We have an objective now of penetrating all these seven countries.”
“We have a strategic plan. The main focus is, even by 2026 we might have all those seven countries, possibly even 13 countries.”
“We want to make sure Brunei is seen. We want people to know Mumtaz Collections is from Brunei,” he said.
“We get a lot of offers, but it’s down to our stocks and commitments,” Sarah added.
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