Thread Talk is a series venturing into a designer’s inner workings and thoughts. Today, we have Veen Dee, the co-founder of the well-loved local label Hanya, focusing on creating a community-driven safe space for the everyday women who breathe fashion.
Derived from the Malay word for “only”, Hanya is created exclusively for women, by women. Fashion, for Hanya, is more than clothes, it’s a social brand. Globally, the term community-driven is catching on in the marketing sphere but at Hanya, it blossoms naturally. There’s an enticing sense of belonging; while the clients are treated as potential collaborative partners, the collaborators, on the other hand, are perceived as potential customers. Co-founder Jaja Anuar once told us that the community, at this point, are “the peers, friends and also customers”. Just as the bio on Hanya’s community Instagram page reads, “You can sit with us”, they open their arms to everyone.
As a peer, Hanya is always one of the very first to take the front row in supporting other local brands. “Having a community is a way to pool resources without conflicting with each other’s interests,” co-founder Veen Dee enthuses. To Veen Dee, this is a way to ensure the local fashion scene as a whole can grow collectively and their latest upcycle collaboration with emerging designer Uzair Shoid cemented the idea.
As a brand, Veen Dee and her team have been around the ridges of being one who advocates—and takes constructive actions—in being ethical and responsible to the environment. The effort to minimising waste and reduce their footprint in the production process is not an easy task but with a strong online presence, Hanya strives to be the bellwether, to the audience or even to newcomers in the fashion scene, proving that, being sustainable is not a castle in the air, despite a slower growth in acceptance and awareness in Malaysia.
How would you introduce Hanya?
Hanya defines elevated basics, for any woman and any occasion. We are also a conscious label—since the launch of our upcycle collection, we vowed to give our unsold inventory a second chance. Our packaging is made out of corn, and we condoned single-use disposable items like boxes, thank you cards etc.
You’ve always been in the fashion industry before founding Hanya. What leads to the decision to run a fashion label with your co-founder, Jaja?
I worked with Jaja when I was with FashionValet. She came naturally to my mind when I needed a person with good public relations skills. A year into the business, I invited Jaja to be our founding partner, and she agreed instantly. It was one of the happiest times of my life. Now, I’m in charge of the execution and operation of the business while Jaja is the front of the business.
What are some pros and cons of working together as business partners and friends?
Arguments are inevitable, but being professional solves all conflicts. We always talked it out after a heated debate to find common ground. Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey, but having a friend and a partner like Jaja puts my mind at ease all the time. She’s my biggest support system.
Can you walk us through the process of launching a full collection?
All of our collection takes 3-4 months to come alive. It started with production planning, creating a mood board, sourcing, pattern making, sampling then lastly marketing. But it’s not as rigid as it sounds, there are times when we work on marketing ideas during the creative process. This helps us to come out with an impactful key item that aligns with the marketing decision and hopefully, maximises the marketing effort.
Hanya aces in social media content creation. How do you think that contributes to the brand’s organic growth?
It’s fortunate and a blessing to have a team that is very content-savvy. Organically, we rely on social media heavily, in fact, a staggering 70% of our organic growth comes solely from social media.
Hanya turned 6th this year, what do you think you would do differently if given an opportunity?
At one point, we rushed the hiring process and went after our top line, so much so that we went astray and lost our identity eventually. So this year, the main focus is to rebuild then refine our core values and beliefs.
What is the most memorable moment throughout the journey?
There are too many to begin with. The very day I packed our first order; when we were in our first office; our first press trip to Bali; unveiling the first store; and seeing a familiar name that has been supportive since we first started every time we launch a collection. These are all memorable to me.
As a local brand, how far do you think the industry has come as compared to when you first started?
It has grown rather significantly over the years since I first stepped foot in the industry, and that was about 15 years ago. I love seeing more brands mushrooming in recent years. We needed them, we needed more players in the scene for a collective loud voice that is capable of leaving a bigger impact economically.
What is something that you have always wanted to do with the brand, but currently lack the resources to do so?
Investing in sustainable materials. First of all, Malaysia is not exactly the friendliest market when it comes to raw materials, let alone materials that are recycled. On that note, some recycled materials actually produce more waste to the environment—a lot of research needs to be done.
To be an ethically sustainable brand, I need to be very certain about the origin of the materials, employee wages, production responsibility and so on. I don’t want to do things that I don’t preach. I believe that once I commit to a project, I need to ensure the longevity of said practice.
Looking back, what is your biggest challenge? What’s one of the biggest mistakes you’ve made, and what have you gleaned from it?
My biggest challenge has to be people management while learning to be a leader myself. As for the challenge, it will be overhiring and overproduction. One thing to learn is producing more does not guarantee more sales and hiring too fast too much does not guarantee efficiency. Stay lean.
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