Up close with: Friendly Fashion Founders

Creativity isn't just about painting and crafting; it can be a solution that is created by someone to benefit others. The two sisters I've known from their website has brought creativity to a whole new level. Nadzirah and Diyana are two young-spirited women whom had unleashed their inner-creativity to create a website that promotes loving and sharing what you have with others. Read more...

Sisters are doing it for themselves!

Tell me about yourselves (before and after your business)
Before Nadzirah (26) started her business she was working in an online marketing company as a writer. Diyana (23) was running her baking business.

What is the nature of your business?
Friendlyfashion.my is a free trading platform where people can sell, swap or give away their preloved clothes, shoes and accessories. Our business is to keep the community thriving and happy and to make sure that if there were any disputes, we’d do our best to resolve it.

When did it start and why? Any meaning behind the name given?
We started the site in February and the meaning behind the site is really a lot to do with building a community. And because the site is catered specifically to clothes, shoes and accessories, the obvious word that would come up next is fashion.

What makes it stand out? / How are you promoting your personal brand?
The thing about friendlyfashion is that it has many amazing things which makes it stand out. For one thing it’s about two ordinary girls who happen to be sisters working together to reduce waste in clothing. Then on top of that these two sisters are very passionate about fashion and would like to create a community who knows that one can be fashionable and wear preloved clothing at the same time. The other awesome thing is we have global partners who have the same drive and passion as we do and are always ready to give us advice and support. This helps us stand out as we’re now part of a project that is not only good for environment but also community conscious.

What are your strengths? Or how would you describe your style?
Our style varies - Diyana is more simple but creative with how she wears her hair. Nadzirah can be sophisticated yet bohemian and sometimes funky. It’s pretty safe to say that between us two, we have outfits for any occasion.

Any specializations that you offer on the website? 
What we love about our site is the comment box on every item. It gives the buyer and seller a chance to interact for clearer photos, or asking for measurements before actually saying ‘I want this’ item. The comments section let other members see the transparency as well which thus creates more trust within the community. On top of that you can also update your status and interact in the forums about anything and everything under the sun!


Any background involvement in other fields? 
Diyana also bakes for a living! And Nadzirah teaches debate/public speaking on Saturdays to kids between 12-17 years old.

Any upcoming or previous projects, events or involvements? 
We’re planning to have an offline event soon and to invite the community to join us but for now we’re rather focused in making the site and community grow, interact and give us feedback if there are any about the site.

What are your significant memories so far from this project? 
It’s hard to say as every day we evolve to new tasks and ideas and that’s always memorable. But for me (Nadzirah) it would have to be the fact that I was working from the beach in an island not too long ago. I never thought I could have an office that was so beautiful! :)

Where are you based?
We’re based mainly at home or all over KL. But at times, we can work away from home as it is an online business.

What is the driving force behind the website? 
The driving force behind the website is the community. Without the community interacting, this would just be another mudah.my or something along those lines. This is not just a place to shop, it’s also a place where you can interact and make new friends.

Where do you see yourselves or your business ONE or FIVE years from now? 
We hope that this site will just grow bigger and bigger. Because we are so niche we want to be the go-to hub for preloved clothing. Having been inspired by our sister sites in Germany, Lithuania and Czech Republic, we really believe that Malaysia has a huge potential to be the same. And we also hope other countries in Asia will also start doing the same too so we can reduce waste in this world.

What are your inspirations? 
We get inspired from the littlest things. From random photos to phrases to life experiences. It’s hard to say we have one medium of inspiration.

Any inspiring quotes to share with others or advice? 
Our favorite quote by Mark Twain:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. 

Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Biz card: 
www.friendlyfashion.my
facebook.com/friendlyfashion.my
twitter.com/myfriendlyfash

Credits:
Photos courtesy of Friendlyfashion.my