Farah Hanis (Exclusive Interview): Inspiring Journey of Starting Hanis Alhabib

Started in 2018, now Hanis Alhabib has successfully stepped forward from other Hijab brands in Malaysia market. The founder of Hanis Alhabib, Farah Hanis, said that she has been wearing hijabs since she was a kid – and that’s where the idea of starting a Hijab business came from. She knows all types of hijabs very well, which drives her passion in this industry.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Communication in Multimedia University, Farah started her business in 2018, when she intended to get a side income and reduced her parents’ burden financially.

One of the heart-touching stories that we could get from her is that at the beginning of her business, the tailor, who made her hijabs was her friend’s mother and she was a really good tailor. Her friend’s father had already passed away, and she thought that maybe this way, she could help her friend’s family. It all started with her intention of helping people who are very dear to her heart.

When being asked who is her biggest support while running her business, it would be her family. 

“They have been supporting me since I first started this business, up until now. I am very thankful to have them in my life.”

What makes Hanis Alhabib unique from other businesses?

Farah said what makes Hanis Alhabib unique is that all of her hijabs are custom-made and tailor-made, not factory-made. 

“I’m not saying that factory-made is not good. Since our hijabs are custom-made and tailor-made, it is something that we personalized for you. So in terms of the stitching aspect, of course, it would be different from the factory made. We produce our hijabs one by one, which requires a lot of time and effort; that what makes our hijabs to be unique.” 

Hanis Alhabib hijabs are made of high-quality fabrics that are lightweight, breathable, gentle and silky smooth to the skin, making them ideal hijabs for Malaysia’s hot weather. Their shawls are very easy to be styled in any way you want them to be. Besides wearing it with your daily outfit, the touch of luxury and glam will definitely give a hint of sassiness to your special occasions!

Which social media platforms do you use to promote your hijabs?

“For Hanis Alhabib, we do have Instagram and TikTok accounts, but not Twitter. Since we started promoting Anis Alhabib mainly on Instagram in 2018, we can say that Alhamdulillah, the brand visibility and engagement are better on Instagram. But recently, we have been actively promoting our hijabs on TikTok, and we could say we also received good engagement in this platform”.

@hanisalhabib

A fun fact about this design is that different draping styles will display a different part of the design! It will look like you’ve got quite a number of shawls from the same collection when in fact it’s just the same old classic shawl that you’ve got!😆Now don’t be shy and come get one girlss.😘 This design comes in both long shawl & square scarf

♬ original sound – HANIS ALHABIB

What are some of the challenges that Farah has faced as a business owner so far?

According to Farah, there are a lot of challenges that she has faced so far. For instance, when it comes to customers, there is always problems arise during the delivery process that is uncontrollable by her team. There were some customers who received damaged parcels such as dented boxes. Some tried to claim directly from the company, even though it was not the company’s fault. Her team has tried their best to pack the hijabs securely using bubble wraps, but the parcel might have been dented during the delivery process. But it is understandable as customers paid for their orders; of course, they want their orders to arrive safely and in a perfect condition in their hands. It’s quite challenging for her and her team to explain everything to the customers. However, she always takes all the feedbacks and criticisms for future betterment.

Another challenge that she faced, Farah added:

“When it comes to suppliers, they promised to deliver to us within certain period of time but were not able to make it. As business owners, of course, we have our own timelines. For instance, we need to settle the launching plan and everything by this date. But when our suppliers couldn’t make it, it would be a big problem for us as we need to change the whole plan. The photoshoot session needs to be canceled, and we need to arrange a new date for the models.”

What is the biggest achievement that Hanis Alhabib has had so far?

“When I started Hanis Alhabib, I had to reach out to influencers and artists, sent them our hijabs as a gift so they could promote our hijabs. So I think the biggest achievement would be, now, Alhamdulillah, I do not have to do that as some of them are approaching us for sponsorship and collaboration purposes.”

Farah said that among the artists and influencers that had collaborated with Hanis Alhabib including Kilafairy, Erin Malek, Hani Nazrina and Elfira Loy. Erin Malek is one of the artists who was willing to do a review when Hanis Alhabib first started, and right after that, she has become a loyal customer to Hanis Alhabib, buying the hijabs up until now. It is one of the biggest achievements for Hanis Alhabib.

What are some of the advice that Farah could give to people outside there who are afraid of starting their own business?

Farah said that if you wanted to start a business, always remember that you need to be brave in taking risks and need to have a passion.

“It’s not only in business that you need to have passion but in everything that you do. If you do not have passion on the things that you are doing, it will be difficult for you to step forward. You might do it because of someone else. But if you do something because you like it, you will do everything by yourselves; no one forces you. Every day you will wake up and be enthusiastic about starting your day.”

Farah added that if there are people outside who are interested in starting a business but lack of capital; just do it. It’s okay to start a business from the bottom. According to her, when she just started Hanis Alhabib, she only had a small capital. What she did was she started by being a dropship of other brands, and slowly she started saving money to start Hanis Alhabib business. She added:

“As long as you always be patient, committed and consistent, at the end of the day, you will see the results of your hard work.”

If you would like to know more about the Hijabs Collection of Hanis Alhabib, you can check it out on their official website, Instagram or TikTok! Make sure you don’t miss out on it!

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