Spending my last weekend at Women of Haya (WOH), Singapore on last 5-6 November 2016 gave me a very amazing experience. From doing my first flea market, be one of the speaker at the sharing session, until have my own fashion show.
Let me introduce you about Women of Haya, an event which supported by Brunei Islamic Fashion (Bifash) founded by a tough mother of 4, Katijah Aziz. “Haya" means modesty in Islam. The vision is creating a platform to connect not only about Islamic fashion but also deliver the good message and thoughts about women and family, business and entrepreneurship through Islamic point of view in Singapore. Beside the flea, this 2 days in a row weekend full of sharing session, music performance, and the fashion show itself. The sharing session is the most interesting part for me. Because so many story I heard that can encourage me to be a better person. The speakers come to different background, from housewife, business woman, blogger, actress, lecturer to business owner. A lot of positive things we can hear from them.
Before the event even starts I have a lot of thoughts and work to do.
From doubts questioning my self, like:
How I fulfil my last minute equipments from rack clip, paper bag, business card, etc?
I should ship my stuff to another country, how to make payment process?
How I fill my stock for the event?
How if barang yang dijual gak ada yang laku?
How will I perform my english in my first international public speaking audience? Will people listen to me when I am on the stage?
I need iPad as my marketing collateral so I can place my digital catalogue and show to my customer. But I don’t have any. Who has and willing to lend it to me?
How to get rid of the clothes wrinkle and steam all of them when I don’t have proper steamer?
How to showcase my collection if I don’t have any mannequin?
Who will help and support me through the event since I only have 1 friend to help, and I got nobody to support. How if just incase she is sick and under any circumstances can’t make it, will I be alone?
How if nobody interested to buy the fashion show admission?
And until to these 2 most important questions,
How if gak balik modal?
And what is going to be the public opinion when I’m trying to sell something modest but I’m not even covered up yet, have personal life far away from modesty in this kind of very modest event, surrounded by very moslem people and society, most all of the women here, from organisers, exhibitors, and the visitors, are are covered up, will they judge? (I have bitter experience with my friends on how they treat, underestimate, and discredit me only because I’m different with them)
After these long questions list, i find the answers:
Lucky me I have my new friends who willing to listen my dazzling stories and and help me with the enquiries (thank you Kak Tina and Nabilah, Ardin, and Meity)
My mompreneur friend is willing to share and teaching me step by step to create PayPal account so my online shop is nicely set up (thank you Cindy).
My friend flew along the way from Jakarta to Singapore and make time and space to put my stock and gave it to me (thank you Adeline)
Alhamdulilah dagangannya laku.
People do listen the sharing session, they kept their attention to the stage, I notice some of them even taking pictures and record that.
I get my iPad from my friend at very long way before the event so I have more than enough time to set up (thank you Helen!)
Dipinjemin steamer proper punya tetangga sebelah (plus dibelikan kopi pula) juga, so my clothes are wrinkle free. (thanks Kak Rina and Kak Yana)
After nyari mannequin kemana-mana and I can’t manage to have one, tetangga booth sebelah ternyata punya, her booth space udah kepenuhan jadi gak bisa pajang mannequin lagi and I can use it for mine for free (so there is no additional cost for me, thank you Amalina), that is cara Allah bikin mannequin yang hampir saya beli pada H-1 sebelum acara yang tinggal berangkat ngambil ke lokasi eh tapi ternyata sold out. Allah knows my tight budget but still insist want to get mannequin (yang pada akhirnya juga gak bisa dibeli karena udah last minute) sampe di tegur sama suami sendiri karena dinilai trying too hard to be perfect (perfectionist is my middle name nampaknya ya).
Preparing many things from printing marketing collateral to have the long list of miscellaneous yang makan biaya (padahal dagangan laku aja belum tentu), sampai nahan buat gak jajan dan ngeluarin uang sepeserpun walau tergoda isi dagangan booth tetangga sebelah demi kumpulin uang buat balikin modal.
My one and only available friend is really available, she accompanied me the past 2 days, bring her nephew to help and the entire family to come, her sisters also to shop (thank you Dilla).
An Italian best friend of mine (my scorpio sissy) bring another friend came and surprised me and shop without any bargain (thank you Lucia and Candida). They don’t mind coming to the Moslem event when they are becoming the most stand out person at the crowd just for supporting me and NAMAZAHRA. They gave me the support that I reaaaaaallllyyy appreciate.
Fahion show is running smoothly and the limited seats are full.
Sales was good considered as a first timer the most important that always my husband said and haunts me is alhamdullilah is not to be lost. Some collections are SOLD OUT !
Nobody judge me because I’m not wearing hijab, I make friends with them instead, and they are sending their prayer and encourage me to be one someday. I’m meeting my moslem hijabi friends from all over the world, Malaysia, Turkey, French, UK, Brunei Darussalam (even the founder of Bifash, Mia Suria shop at NAMAZAHRA, and get the networking with them.
A little story before I start NAMAZAHRA, my niat is not only for trading. But I have vision to get closer with my belief as moslem. That is why I choose Kaftan as my signature collection instead of day to day casual clothes yang padahal pasti making more sales than clothes like kaftan yang only occasionally dipakai. So I can target my market, yaitu Singaporean melayu yang most of them wearing hijab. And surrounded by cycle of people like them. Because you are becoming like with who you are mixing with.
Somebody who wears hijab ever said to me a bit offensive when I post my picture I play with a dog here (from banyak post about me and cat she never bother but a post about dog drive her crazy)
“Nda, lo itu hidup di negara yang bukan negara yang moslem majority, cuma ingetin aja bahwa semoga lo bisa jaga diri!”
And I just can say thank you to her. Without her knowing, even though I’m not living in moslem majority country. But this country give more tolerance between all the religions here. The multiracial part. Semua negara ada, Semua bangsa dan agama ada. We mix culture in daily dan menghormati sama lain.
Di negara yang bukan mayoritas muslim ini, saya justru belajar untuk mengerti tentang muslim yang sebenarnya. Maybe I will not do the same if I’m living at Jakarta. Maybe I will never thought about bring up kaftan as the moslem attire to be my business (secara udah rame ya bok disana, banyak saingan). Maybe I will not join moslem event like Women of Haya and get surrounded by moslem society and have friends with this kind of person.
Di negara yang bukan mayoritas muslim ini, saya justru belajar untuk menjadi "lebih muslim”yang walau hingga sekarang saya masih jauh dari sosok wanita muslim yang sempurna. So lucky for those all of you yang telah dikaruniakan hidayahNya dengan cepat. However hidayah Allah turun dengan cara berbeda-beda di waktu yang berbeda-beda, and this is my way menuju ke arah sana.
Living in a not majority moslem county doesn’t mean will erase your belief about your religion. For me personally, with or without hijab, people better not judge about other people, we will never know things that they had been through behind that. Hijab is more than the religion attribute. Your belief is inside your heart and planted into your soul. And the modesty that reflecting out from inside your self through your day to day thoughts, words, and deeds.
Thank you Allah, thank you friends (Vanya, Gita, Wirdha, Ingkan) and family for your support and prayer. Especially Kat, all the WOH team (special to Aishah who become my loyal customer and willing to be my living mannequin, because she is around and keep promoting my pleats pants), all exhibitors friends yang baik-baik kasih makanan, dan macam-macam bantuan. For my husband who put trust on me, being my source of my monetary funds, never complaint and always help me with my attention to detail thingy to prepare last weekend. I know all of you always be my biggest supporter.
After what I’m experienced, this answers are really teach me bahwa semua kekhawatiran manusia itu terkalahkan oleh yang namanya kuasa dan izin Allah. Semua bisa terjadi karena izin Allah. And I’m really grateful for that. Keep your positive mind, set your goal and mindset. Tetap yakin, berusaha, meminta, berdoa dan berserah. The universe will conspire to make it happen.
In this situation I learn to keep and fill my mind with the positivity. From repeating my prayer affirmation goals words like:
Ya Allah, I need my mannequin, could you help me to get one? I really want the mannequin
Ya Allah, I’m new in this industry however I really wanna make this sold out, please help me
etc...
I keep repeating in my mind about what I want to get and achieve.
And I always believe in that. Sometimes something seems impossible at the beginning but Allah can easily turn it as and beyond you ever expected. Put our maximum effort and pray. We do the best, Allah do the rest.
In sha Allah. Amen.
Thank you for reading :)
