Synergy in Sync: The journey of Shalma Ainaa and Wan Imar

Their courtship began with shy, tentative steps, often in the company of friends, before they ventured out on their own. “The first time we actually had a proper meal together, just the both of us, after months of dating, was actually at our friend’s house. We had met up, and our friends suddenly had to go out for some errands, so it was just Shalma and me alone. And she decided to cook me a nice, hot cup of Maggi instant noodles in the middle of winter. It was nice and intimate. We really connected and had deep talks about each other’s aspirations and dreams. I think that’s ultimately what [solidified our bond] because we feel like we complement each other in terms of our energy and what we want to be or what we want to pursue,” Imar recalls.

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Upon their return home, many anticipated an imminent wedding, but the couple had different plans. “At that time, we were just in our early twenties, and we felt that we had to date a while longer to be on more solid ground,” shares Shalma. Imar also added how, at the beginning of their relationship, Shalma shared her goals and aspirations. “She wanted to build Shals into a proper fashion house, and I knew that I could not be selfish. I knew that I had to support her in every way possible,” says Imar. 

Their engagement was a joyous decision that came after years of growth together. However, the sudden passing of Imar’s father proved to be a challenging stumble for their otherwise blissful new beginnings. “It was my dad’s first taste of having a future daughter-in-law; we’re from an all-boys family, so he was very excited. So I think when that hurdle came, it was very tragic, but at the same time, in the back of my head, when it comes to Shalma and me, I thought, if we get past this, I know there’s nothing that can stop us. In that sense, there was a lot of self-discovery from my end, and she is trying to support me emotionally and physically,” says Imar. 

Shalma’s support and understanding through that particular period helped bring the family closer, and their relationship deepened. “I think it made us closer and helped us understand each other better. Family-wise, we really bonded,” she says.

Trust, loyalty and support have been the pillars of their relationship as they navigated their careers. Shalma is a fashion entrepreneur and the founder of the brand Shals, while Imar is the director of operations at W5 Architects, an architecture and master planning firm.

Shalma says, “He really supports me in whatever I do and makes things easier for me. Imar is always understanding, and I don’t have to explain everything that I do, so it makes me enjoy whatever I do; I don’t have to like berjaga-jaga. But of course, I also know my limits, and I think that’s where the trust comes in.”

Imar reinforces her statement, saying that by drawing from the same creative alignment and interests, the couple understands the intentions behind each decision being made and the limitations of how one does things, even if the work becomes tough and the hours rough. “Our work is very project-centric; if I have a very intense project going on, she’ll know how to respect my space and time, and vice versa. So it’s about being able to compromise, understand, as well as tolerate each other’s schedules. I also remind myself how we can navigate and complement each other’s energy in this respect; sometimes you’ll be at your 10 per cent, and your partner has to give the 90 per cent, and sometimes it’s the other way around.”

This understanding and synergy have allowed the couple to also flourish in their respective careers. “I’m proud to say that Shals has grown so much over the past 11 years. Business is never easy. In whatever I do, I think business is the toughest especially compared to emceeing or hosting, because with a business, you are responsible for someone else’s salary, and you want to take care of the welfare of your staff, so sometimes it can be really stressful,” says Shalma.

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She recalls the initial beginnings of her brand, which blossomed during her years as a fashion student. “I think when I first started, it was like, okay, I like this; I studied fashion and had an interest in it. But as I grew older and the brand grew, my purpose became clearer. When the purpose is clearer, you don’t feel like giving up because before that, when it got tough, I would sometimes question myself, ‘why am I doing this?’”

She reaffirms that the support of her community is crucial to the success of Shals. “The fact that we can sustain and we’re still going strong with our community, it makes me happy to know that there is still demand and there are still customers who have grown with us, from wearing Shals in their university days to adulthood. Without them, we wouldn’t be at this level. That is what keeps me going. That is one of my purposes, to make people look good and feel good.”

Imar, too, has embraced the responsibilities of continuing his father’s legacy, viewing the challenges as opportunities for personal and professional growth. “It was a very challenging period of my life. My view on things and how one manages things really matured me in such a rapid way. It’s like you went from bayar tol to RFID straightaway! But it made me learn a lot of things at a fast pace. I made mistakes along the way, of course, but you learn as you go. I do give myself a pat on the back, along with my brothers (who are also involved in the management of the firm), for doing a good job so far.” 

As the couple looks to their future, with Shalma planning to expand Shals across borders and perhaps a shift in career for Imar, they continue to inspire each other with their commitment and shared values. “I think the next big step is a Southeast Asian expansion because we have customers in Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. It’s quite competitive, but I want to introduce what I can do to Indonesia,” shares Shalma.

Having recently rebranded Shals and launched Univershals, she explains the direction moving forward, saying, “We just rebranded Shals recently to be more focused on our products. We want people to see that we’re an international brand, as part of our gradual expansion beyond Malaysia. Previously, our brand identity had a more lifestyle  touch, but this new aesthetic aims to be more international. However, we don’t want to neglect our community, so Univershals is more community-based, with content related to our community such as podcasts and behind-the-scenes of our campaigns.”

Meanwhile, Imar, who always had a passion for music, having even released a music single previously, shared his intentions to explore this creative endeavour sometime in the future, “Singing has always been an outlet or a passion that I’ve always wanted to do. I’m waiting for the right time for me to actually focus on it because I’m the type that loves to devote myself to a certain level of commitment to something I’m working on. One of the conversations I had with my late dad was that you have to be a master of one instead of a master of none. So, in that sense, I want to give myself a good time to learn and manage my skills and knowledge when it comes to this development construction industry first before moving on to something else. So, who knows, maybe Singing might kick in a few years’ time. It’s still in the cards because it’s very much my passion.”

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