Dedicate this to all BRUNEIAN shoe lovers!! MUST READ!!
So I interviewed the Brunei Shoes designer, and with her heartfelt, she agree to answer few questions and it is just inspiring :))
-ok, there's not really much to say.. i'm just a very young entrepreneur who just started to live my (or some of other people's) dream.. TrulyYours is still a budding fashion business which allow people to get their footwears in their own size, color, height and many more.. we also allow artistic Bruneian shoe designers dream to come true by getting their shoe designs made... For now, unfortunately, we only do it for women...
What does passion in shoes mean to you?
-this is a great question.. most people would die to become one of those fashion designers, designing all of those gorgeous looking clothes that would look great on most people.. Skinny people to be exact.. I (without no shame) admits that as a Plus-Size girl, shopping for clothes is extremely difficult.. even more frustrating, when we can't find anything that suits us best.. For Slender, skinny, slim women, shopping for clothes may be an anti-depressant for them.. So i develop a passion in Shoes.., i'm lucky enough to be wearing a size 7 or size 38 shoes.. which is a very common size here in Brunei. At least i still get the joys of shopping!! :P
Who is one of your favorite shoe designers??
-I am not really in the same world with the fashion world so i may not be able to name the designers that i like.. its not that i don't appreciate fashion, its just that i feel like i don't fit into that category.. but i do admire some designers such as Louboutin, Nathalie Elharrar, and Grisha Nazarian...probably not for their designs but for their passion in shoes.. :)
When did you realize you wanted to start a self-customize and design-your-own shoes
business?
- I totally have not dreamed about having my own business.. i never thought i could be business minded.. until i got married.. I became an university dropout because i really am not in the mood for studies anymore.. realizing that i had to pay off few debts and help husband pay his, i started an online business selling various items.. Then after the profit i made, i realize "Hey, Probably this is what I Should be doing".. then, funny story, one day, about a year ago, i said to myself, if i made myself happy by shopping for shoes, i could make someone else happy too.. but what if they are WAAAAAAAY picky than me..? what if they want a shoe in a specific size, a specific color, a specific design and a specific height. There's NO-WAY anyone can find those easily.. So I Suddenly turned to my husband,stared at him and said "Let's run a self-customize shoe business". Its not about the money now, its about giving and sharing to people what they may not be able to get.. He laughed at first but when he saw the serious look in my eyes, we started planning.. obviously this was not easy.. especially that we don't have that much model to start it up with.. so i called a few contacts that i met a few years back in 2009 who earlier offered me some of his business ideas too but i rejected due to studies and i shot the 'I'm-not-interested' look.. Luckily he still remembers me and helped me along the process.. I now co-owned a shoe-making industry which is sited in Indonesia.. This is because, its cheaper to get it sited there & most of my partners resides there.. I have a few partners selling of these products as well in Indonesia & Malaysia.. We go by different name as we still haven't decide on branding it.. (since the process took too long) so we decided to start advertising and see how things go for now..
What are some of your accomplishments?
-Accomplishments... wow.. some people define accomplishments differently.. but for me, having to be a stay home mom at a young age and yet can successfully run a business and family at once is a greatest accomplishments for me.. I am being disgraced by my own family for dropping out of uni.. they don't believe that it is possible for me to get a job like my siblings (who are mostly teachers) without a degree or a diploma at least.. My parents never smiled at me again because of that idea.. The mindset of Bruneians are that if u work with the government than ur set for life..it is true, n i m looking for a government based job at the moment, but what they don't know is, I at the moment make MORE money monthly than any of my siblings or cousins who are doctors or BSP-ians, i DON'T have any loans, I am in the process of getting my OWN house and yet i still get to be happy staying at home, waking up late, no bosses bossing me around and so on.. so really, I am a prove that people should NEVER underestimate drop-outs... I think Success is measured in Happiness not in Money.. but yet, i do agree that money is everything in this world.. just that if u have money but u miss out those moments when ur baby laughs and smiles for the first time, ur a failure..BIG TIME!!
How long have run this business?
-hmm..I started D'Maira Company a while back (around 2008) so i get my heads up on business...TrulyYours however, not very long.. the process of getting started took me about a year... and TrulyYours Designs by D'Maira open it's doors (or page since it's online.. haha) on the 5th January 2011... I even had my shoes brand under my name.. :)
Do you consider yourself living-my-dream?
-Yep.. i definitely do... as i explained in my previous answer, I'm happy, and i have everything that an average person need.. (although i do not need an expensive car and a mansion yet.. haha.. i just like to be average..) What more could i ask for? no need to be greedy right??
What kind of fashion inspire you?
- Haha... again with the fashion question, well.., for women, i like simple and comfort..for me, the simpler a women dresses, more of the inner beauty comes out... :)
How do you design shoes for yourself and for the people who need inspirations?
- To be honest, none of the shoes in the photo albums are my designs.., they are either permitted copyright (legally ni aaah) or designed by some of my partners.. i'm a total nightmare when it comes to drawing and designing.... However, i work with what i have and try to put as much personality in the shoes to match the wearer... :)
What's next and your goals?
- We are still looking forward to have shoes for men and children and for those with orthopedic needs..
- Also on the list would be customized clutches (which will be ready latest by next month) and customized evening gowns (ready also maybe by next month by God's will) and customized Jeweleries..(around March or sooner)
- Next, i am still in the process of getting a shop open here in Brunei.. but I must warn u all that it may not be anytime soon.. since i need to get my license in Brunei and all.. so u know it's not exactly a blink of an eye..
- when that is done, i am also planning to build a factory here in Brunei.. also a design fashion company.. I would love to hire Bruneians and get them to work with me...
- and with God's will, i may bring this business to an international level.. Amin~
Anyway.., checkout our Clutches Designs to Customize coming Up Pretty Soon... :) My Advise to You people out there, Don't Be Afraid To Dream As Dreaming is Free.. But Don't Just Dream! Work Hard For It and You Could Be Living Your Dream.. :)
What does passion in shoes mean to you?
-this is a great question.. most people would die to become one of those fashion designers, designing all of those gorgeous looking clothes that would look great on most people.. Skinny people to be exact.. I (without no shame) admits that as a Plus-Size girl, shopping for clothes is extremely difficult.. even more frustrating, when we can't find anything that suits us best.. For Slender, skinny, slim women, shopping for clothes may be an anti-depressant for them.. So i develop a passion in Shoes.., i'm lucky enough to be wearing a size 7 or size 38 shoes.. which is a very common size here in Brunei. At least i still get the joys of shopping!! :P
Who is one of your favorite shoe designers??
-I am not really in the same world with the fashion world so i may not be able to name the designers that i like.. its not that i don't appreciate fashion, its just that i feel like i don't fit into that category.. but i do admire some designers such as Louboutin, Nathalie Elharrar, and Grisha Nazarian...probably not for their designs but for their passion in shoes.. :)
When did you realize you wanted to start a self-customize and design-your-own shoes
business?
- I totally have not dreamed about having my own business.. i never thought i could be business minded.. until i got married.. I became an university dropout because i really am not in the mood for studies anymore.. realizing that i had to pay off few debts and help husband pay his, i started an online business selling various items.. Then after the profit i made, i realize "Hey, Probably this is what I Should be doing".. then, funny story, one day, about a year ago, i said to myself, if i made myself happy by shopping for shoes, i could make someone else happy too.. but what if they are WAAAAAAAY picky than me..? what if they want a shoe in a specific size, a specific color, a specific design and a specific height. There's NO-WAY anyone can find those easily.. So I Suddenly turned to my husband,stared at him and said "Let's run a self-customize shoe business". Its not about the money now, its about giving and sharing to people what they may not be able to get.. He laughed at first but when he saw the serious look in my eyes, we started planning.. obviously this was not easy.. especially that we don't have that much model to start it up with.. so i called a few contacts that i met a few years back in 2009 who earlier offered me some of his business ideas too but i rejected due to studies and i shot the 'I'm-not-interested' look.. Luckily he still remembers me and helped me along the process.. I now co-owned a shoe-making industry which is sited in Indonesia.. This is because, its cheaper to get it sited there & most of my partners resides there.. I have a few partners selling of these products as well in Indonesia & Malaysia.. We go by different name as we still haven't decide on branding it.. (since the process took too long) so we decided to start advertising and see how things go for now..
What are some of your accomplishments?
-Accomplishments... wow.. some people define accomplishments differently.. but for me, having to be a stay home mom at a young age and yet can successfully run a business and family at once is a greatest accomplishments for me.. I am being disgraced by my own family for dropping out of uni.. they don't believe that it is possible for me to get a job like my siblings (who are mostly teachers) without a degree or a diploma at least.. My parents never smiled at me again because of that idea.. The mindset of Bruneians are that if u work with the government than ur set for life..it is true, n i m looking for a government based job at the moment, but what they don't know is, I at the moment make MORE money monthly than any of my siblings or cousins who are doctors or BSP-ians, i DON'T have any loans, I am in the process of getting my OWN house and yet i still get to be happy staying at home, waking up late, no bosses bossing me around and so on.. so really, I am a prove that people should NEVER underestimate drop-outs... I think Success is measured in Happiness not in Money.. but yet, i do agree that money is everything in this world.. just that if u have money but u miss out those moments when ur baby laughs and smiles for the first time, ur a failure..BIG TIME!!
How long have run this business?
-hmm..I started D'Maira Company a while back (around 2008) so i get my heads up on business...TrulyYours however, not very long.. the process of getting started took me about a year... and TrulyYours Designs by D'Maira open it's doors (or page since it's online.. haha) on the 5th January 2011... I even had my shoes brand under my name.. :)
Do you consider yourself living-my-dream?
-Yep.. i definitely do... as i explained in my previous answer, I'm happy, and i have everything that an average person need.. (although i do not need an expensive car and a mansion yet.. haha.. i just like to be average..) What more could i ask for? no need to be greedy right??
What kind of fashion inspire you?
- Haha... again with the fashion question, well.., for women, i like simple and comfort..for me, the simpler a women dresses, more of the inner beauty comes out... :)
How do you design shoes for yourself and for the people who need inspirations?
- To be honest, none of the shoes in the photo albums are my designs.., they are either permitted copyright (legally ni aaah) or designed by some of my partners.. i'm a total nightmare when it comes to drawing and designing.... However, i work with what i have and try to put as much personality in the shoes to match the wearer... :)
What's next and your goals?
- We are still looking forward to have shoes for men and children and for those with orthopedic needs..
- Also on the list would be customized clutches (which will be ready latest by next month) and customized evening gowns (ready also maybe by next month by God's will) and customized Jeweleries..(around March or sooner)
- Next, i am still in the process of getting a shop open here in Brunei.. but I must warn u all that it may not be anytime soon.. since i need to get my license in Brunei and all.. so u know it's not exactly a blink of an eye..
- when that is done, i am also planning to build a factory here in Brunei.. also a design fashion company.. I would love to hire Bruneians and get them to work with me...
- and with God's will, i may bring this business to an international level.. Amin~
Anyway.., checkout our Clutches Designs to Customize coming Up Pretty Soon... :) My Advise to You people out there, Don't Be Afraid To Dream As Dreaming is Free.. But Don't Just Dream! Work Hard For It and You Could Be Living Your Dream.. :)
Don't forget to add her FACEBOOK people!!! TRULYOURS SHOPPE.
Lovettes, khairuz.
1 comment:
aweeeeessssoooooommmmmee!
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