Impossible adventures
in the rag trade
If Yanis Emilia had sought a business loan with the
following proposal her purse would have left the bank no heavier than when she
entered:
‘Hey, I’ve got this
great idea. I’m an ethnic Chinese Indonesian
Protestant living in a regional city far from Jakarta. Although I’m a trained
designer I’ve never been to the fashion centers of Paris, London or New
York. Despite these factors - what some
might consider handicaps - I want to make wedding gowns and export them to rich
Muslim women in the Arab States.’
Only a plan to sell crucifixes in Mecca might have been dismissed
faster.
Fortunately the young dressmaker built her business slowly
so the scenario above wasn’t necessary.
After studying in Surabaya Yanis started making dresses at
home in Malang for friends and relatives.
The youngest of five children she was the only one who’d inherited
her mother’s dexterity with the needle. By
third year in elementary school she had already sewn a uniform that could be
worn without ridicule from her classmates.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Yanis said. “I feel happiest when making clothes and
seeing people look beautiful.”
Dressmaking is more competitive than the World Cup; there’s
no shortage of tailors in the suburbs able to let out a waist or shorten a hem
– and at a pinch zip up a ball gown.
Then there’s the off-the-peg trade. Find a shopping center without dress retailers
and it’s time to check your whereabouts because you’re certainly not in
Indonesia. At the time of writing a nearby
mall was staging a huge expo of wedding services, including a wide range of
bridal wear.
Why go to a cramped home business that’s never featured in
the glossy mags and risk a major embarrassment on your Most Important Day?
Yanis ignored the opposition and just kept stitching. After
a few years she was employing three women and had a business title – Honest
Design.
“I hope the name reflects my philosophy,” she said in her tiny
lounge with a full rack of gowns along one wall.
Shoppers expecting a splendid showroom with glass walls and
plastic everywhere – including the smiles – would rapidly realise Jalan Taman
Sulfat is not Fifth Avenue.
“I try to have a personal relationship with my clients and I
always treat them with respect. I never
ignore a complaint, though these are rare.”
It’s an attitude that seems to have paid off. The rag trade
is internationally notorious for attracting bitchy people forever tottering on
the brink of a nervous breakdown, but Yanis, 41, doesn’t fit the stereotype.
During The Jakarta
Post’s visit no personal assistants rushed to her with approvals to sign. The
only sound came from sewing machines, not jangling phones or screaming
staff. Said the boss: “No-one is allowed
to get angry round here.”
Honest Design now employs 20 women full time producing
around 20 garments a week. Her order book is full till June. Shortly she’ll be
moving to bigger premises and employing up to five more staff recruited from
technical high schools.
Most of her work is for women in Java, but now she’s
exporting to the Middle East and has already sent 50 wedding dresses to Jeddah,
the Red Sea port and second biggest city in Saudi Arabia.
Opening this market broke all the textbook rules; no
advertising, no website and no visit to her customers’ homeland. But wedding
gear is personal, and women tend to rely on the recommendations of friends.
“I get my work only through word of mouth,” she said.
“”People know I will follow their instructions; many just say ‘we’ll leave it
up to you’. I’m confident our exports will grow.”
Doing business from afar has its challenges. How do you ensure gowns fit when the customer
has visited only once before flying home?
And how do you communicate with women who don’t speak Indonesian?
“My wife has a great talent for sizing up measurements and
understanding clients’ needs,” said her insurance agent husband Gideon. The couple have one son aged 10; together they
can muster enough English to talk to their Arab customers, educated in Europe
and mistresses of the international
language.
Women buy their own materials or ask Honest Design to
select. Some provide sketches; others
leave the details to Yanis. Although Arab customers often choose black or dark blue
there’s a surprising call for bright colors, modern styles and off-the shoulder
dresses.
Sequins, embroidery, beads, buttons and other fripperies [or
essentials if you’re a woman] are also much in demand, while the Western trend is
for elegant, but simple. Yanis, who works in T-shirt and jeans - also prefers
this fashion.
In one of her workrooms eight women sat on the floor
decorating dresses. Through the open
doorway more were sewing, ironing and draping mannequins. The third room, which doubles as a kitchen,
is also used to finish garments.
Elsewhere queues of bags stuffed full of material from patrons
waiting for Yanis’ attention so they can get round to marrying Mr Right – and
at the same time show the world that they’re not only rich – but beautiful, at
least for one day.
Her overseas clients have enough money to shop in the
world’s capitals for top brand names, but they also want something that’s
original.
Yanis said the price of her gowns was about half that
charged for international labels.
However that was not the selling point.
“Many shops don’t listen to their customers,” she said.
“Trust is so important. We are always on time.
I see every garment and check the quality. These factors overcome any
national, ethnic and religious differences. The problem now is to maintain control as we
get bigger.
“Indonesia could be a world fashion leader – we have the
materials, the skills and creativity. But we must also be disciplined and
provide total customer care with honesty.
I can’t stress that enough.”
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(First published in The Jakarta Post 17 February 2015)
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