DREAMING BIG PAYS OFF

1 May 2017, 12:00 AM

Home-grown brand Mimpikita started as a fashion blogshop in 2008. Today, its success will inspire you to dream big!

Mimpikita was established in 2008 when three sisters – Nurul, Mira and Syera Zulkifli – decided to start an online blogshop to sell clothing and home decor items. Nurul says, “We had no fashion background. But we really liked fashion and pretty things. So, we started an online website on BlogSpot and also participated in weekend bazaars to create an awareness for our brand, Mimpikita.”

Having a brick-and-mortar was a dream for the sisters. “We always saw Bangsar as the place to be,” says Syera. “We would come here and be inspired by the boutiques, hoping that one day we would be at the same place. We had this vision of growing big, and into an international fashion brand.”

However, their parents were conservative about the business and advised the sisters to start small. “Instead of starting shop in Bangsar, Mimpikita’s first boutique in 2009 was the front quarter of my father’s architectural firm in Sunway Damansara,” says Nurul. Two years later though, Mimpikita landed its first brick-and-mortar in none other than Bangsar. Then, Mimpikita was mainly a bridal/formal wear boutique but the sisters worked hard to create their own designs. “I learnt how to sketch, how to design,” says Nurul.

A year later, the sisters decided to move to Jalan Telawi, amid the boutiques they admired before. The move spurred the siblings to think seriously about Mimpikita as a brand. “We didn’t want to be just a bridal brand like many out there. We wanted Mimpikita to be a proper fashion brand with ready-to-wear seasonal collection,” says Syera.

And so the sisters worked together in conceptualising seasonal and festive collections: From research to creating a mood board, sketching and narrowing down the collection, and then getting the samples down before finalising the collection for production. After that comes showcasing the collection, photo shoots and finally, hitting the store for sale.

Mimpikita also showcased in London Fashion Week in 2015, which was a great learning experience. “We learnt so much from our showcase in London,” says Nurul. It felt good to see the people at the showcase and how they appreciated our designs. It made the process even more real and gave us inspiration to do better.” Mimpikita also has stockists in Singapore and London.

The sisters recently revealed a sub-brand, MKita, a lower-priced line of basic and relaxed pieces designed to complement their dressier Mimpikita offerings. Mkita also comes with a philanthropic vision: A portion of the sales goes to a charity of choice.

Nurul is grateful for the experience the sisters have gathered and the lessons they’ve picked up. “Our brand speaks from the heart. Year after year, we work hard to sustain it, to have it grow into our vision. Doing this is not a walk in the park. We keep telling ourselves that this is a learning process, day after day. I hope everyone can see the intentions we’ve put into Mimpikita and understand where we are coming from. This is something we are all very passionate about and I hope it shows through our work.”

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