The Start Of A Dream

Nurul never imagined that she would become a fashion designer. Born to an architect and a seamstress, she describes a childhood filled with creativity.

“My parents would always sign us up for art classes and buy us sketchbooks, paint and crayons when we were kids, instead of toys,” she reflects.

Thanks to her academic achievements, Nurul’s father encouraged her to study engineering and accounting in the hopes she will become a corporate high flyer. However, Nurul’s lack of passion in accounting was the catalyst that inspired her to explore fashion as a potential career path.

“While I was studying in Australia, I bought sketchbooks for myself and my sisters. I told them that when I returned, we would launch a fashion business together. My sisters laughed at me at first, but when I came back home with sketchbooks full of ideas, they realised how serious I was!” she reveals.

A Tough Climb

From its humble beginnings, selling wholesale outfits on blogshops and weekend bazaars, to designing and creating their ready-to-wear collection, Mimpikita has certainly come far in its journey. The period in-between these two chapters of Mimpikita was a challenging one for Nurul, who also sold cookies and Raya hampers to make ends meet. 

“We started Mimpikita with a capital of RM3,000, loaned by our father. It wasn’t much, but we made do and grew the business from there. I won’t lie, I thought of giving up so many times, but I never did,” she says.

Spreading Her Wings

The turning point came in 2014, when Nurul enrolled herself and her sister Amira to a seven-day entrepreneurship course in Oxford University. “Listening to a panel in the course, I was inspired by what they have done and achieved. There, I was finally inspired to put aside my doubts and dream big. I decided UK was the market that I would set as a benchmark,” she says.

When she came back to Malaysia, she hired a consultant to penetrate the UK market. “Currently, a shop in East Linton High Street is selling our pieces; we participated in London Modest Fashion Week and my long-term goal is to sell Mimpikita at Selfridges. It’s still a long way, but I am grateful for what has been accomplished. It’s a sign to never give up and Alhamdullilah, one day, we will get there," she says.

Grab a copy of Malaysia Tatler's September 2018 issue on newstands for the full personality interview

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