The young and talented entrepreneur, Samina Sara, speaks of her latest venture, MEHER, and her vision to take Bangladesh to the global fashion podium.
Founder
MEHER
YOU HAVE FOUND SUCCESS IN YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THIS EXPERIENCE SO FAR.
Since my childhood, I was always very active and attracted to creativity. I gathered my experience in various fields from a very young age which really helped me to grow into the person that I am today. Currently, I am opening 3 businesses together and planning to start many more. My father always wanted me to be a professor but I was never really interested in that field. Instead, I have always been focused on establishing my career in creative fields.
I started my first business when I was 20 and it brought me massive success within a short period of time. Elegant Makeover & Fashion is right now one of the most renowned makeover studios in Bangladesh. I founded a small production house which is known as ‘The Elite’ and finally, I came up with my new brand ‘MEHER’ which is a clothing line.
I am very ambitious and I always try to learn from my mistakes. I am my own harsh critic and I try to improve my work every day. My motto in life is to push my limits as much as I can because I want to see how far I can go and what new things I can create.
PLEASE TELL US THE STORY BEHIND MEHER AND WHAT THE NAME, ‘MEHER’ SIGNIFIES.
I consider myself to be a person who highly values fashion. Though I never studied design, I have always wanted to work on establishing my own glamorous clothing brand. When I was very young my mother used to make clothes for me and my sister. When we grew up, we started designing our own clothes within a limited budget – my father always gave us a fixed budget to buy clothes. That’s how I gained my design knowledge.
The word, ‘Meher’ means ‘the gift from God.’ I took this word from my mother’s name, Meheraj, who is undoubtedly the best gift I have received from Allah. I wanted to carry this gift and blessing into my latest establishment and named my clothing brand, MEHER.
WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS BEHIND DESIGNING THE COLLECTIONS AT MEHER?
Behind creating every piece, comes a very constructive process. It all starts by keeping a few factors in mind like the weather, the timing of the year and the current colour spectrums of the country. Most importantly, we like to modify and redesign patterns and fabrics that are in trend in the global high fashion market. For example, we recently worked with a lot of raffles, fluff and colours. We focus on red-carpet-worthy pieces which are not commonly available or made in this country. After all these processes are completed, our in-house team produces the samples and final pieces after approval. The whole process is a bit long, but it is very organised.
MY MOTTO IN LIFE IS TO PUSH MY LIMITS AS MUCH AS I CAN BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE HOW FAR I CAN GO AND WHAT NEW THINGS I CAN CREATE.
YOU ATTRIBUTE A LOT OF YOUR SUCCESS TO YOUR PARENTS. HOW HAVE THEY INSPIRED YOU AND HELPED YOU CONQUER YOUR FEARS?
All the talent and confidence that I possess come from my father and mother. It was indeed difficult and there was a lot of trouble with very little support when I was establishing Elegant Makeover & Fashion, my first brand. My mother provided immeasurable emotional support and cheered me on. I worked hard for it as I didn’t have the proper capital for the initial investment. Fortunately, when I was establishing MEHER it was relatively easier. By the grace of Allah, I have proper investment power of my own now. It is a great blessing that I never had to take a single penny from my parents to do my business, but their continuous mental support has always boosted my strength and spirit. Many girls out there have the talent but they are unable to work because their family doesn’t support it. I am blessed to have such an amazing family who has always had my back.
MEHER IS JUST STARTING OUT AND IT HAS ALREADY GARNERED PRAISE AND A FOLLOWING. WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE PLANS FOR MEHER, AND WHERE DO YOU SEE THE BRAND IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS?
Yes, unexpectedly, but fortunately, MEHER got a very good response from the very beginning and I am glad that my clients are loving our collection and they are finding the designs very unique.
For my immediate plans, we have started taking orders from 1st June 2022 targeting the Eid-al-Adha festival. We are working on a more traditional yet fusion, out-of-the-box collection. We are also introducing our own handcrafted jewellery and bags. In the very near future, we are planning to launch men’s and kid’s wear. After Eid-Al-Adha 2022 we will be hosting a grand event showcasing our extraordinary collection of extravagant pieces.
In five years I see MEHER as an international brand owning outlets all over the continents. Our vision is to be the first in Bangladesh to revolutionise the BD fashion industry and distribute high-fashion clothes for people all over the world on which we will proudly tag ‘MEHER by Samina Sara’ and ‘Made in Bangladesh.’ We have only one tagline for our clothes – ‘Versatile outfits made with quality for your luxury.’
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