Loveaisyah Founder Brings Women Together With The Baju Kurung
Aisyah Lim uses her business to bring Muslim and non-Muslim women together
For 20 years, Aisyah Lim worked as a fashion buyer and designer for 20 years. Afterwards, she decided to quit in order to spend more time with her family. A few months into her break, a friend encouraged her to start an online fashion business on her own, and she found herself growing increasingly keen about the idea.
“I thought it’d be good to do something I’m passionate about. I enjoy shopping for baju kurung during Ramadan but always felt that it was a pity to only wear them once a year, so I was inspired to create tops and bottoms that are versatile enough to mix and match with everyday pieces,” explains the Chinese Muslim.
“Plus, the traditional baju kurung can be uncomfortable to wear for the whole day, so I was determined to change the material used.”
She went on to launch modern baju kurung brand Loveaisyah in 2019 and designs every collection from scratch. Now, she works from home and travels to China twice a year to meet up with her production team. The 45-year-old tells us about how she became a Muslim and her goal of making the baju kurung more accessible to non-Muslim women.
Aisyah’s journey to becoming a Muslim began when she met a stranger at a bus stop who would eventually become her husband.
“I come from a very small family and my dad passed away when I was 14, so the only person I had to convince was my mum. She saw a change in me when I was converting to Islam and attending religious classes – I started showing her more respect and patience. She could see that I was becoming a better person every day,” she says.
But she makes it clear that the conversion wasn’t because of her now-husband: “It came from the bottom of my heart.”
Not that it was without challenges, and one of hers was wearing a hijab.
“Muslim women are told to wear the hijab to retain their modesty but we are not forced to do it. Back then, I wasn’t ready as I was worried I would be judged by non-Muslims, though ironically, I was also afraid to be judged by fellow Muslims. I overcame it after I stopped judging myself. After I found Loveaisyah, I started to write and share more about myself and the process, and the supportive responses I received really warmed my heart.”
Apart from versatility, Loveaisyah’s baju kurung designs feature lace, jacquard and satin materials so that they can be stylishly paired with everyday pieces. In addition, they also feature comfort and chic cutting.
“Our customers are usually blow away by the comfort of the baju kurung after putting it on. I have also gotten feedback that the cutting is very flattering for body shapes. This is because I understand Asian women’s body curves very well and am very particular about how clothes should fit, so every measurement is carefully thought through,” explains Aisyah.
She is also proud to be offering her pieces at affordable price points. At present, blouses and bottoms range between $59.90 and $79.90 while a set typically retails between $119.90 and $159.90.
Check out the brand’s IG page and you’ll see that the bio says, “bringing modern women across different races and backgrounds together through exclusive yet modern baju kurung designs and modest wear”. This is because she aims to make the baju kurung more accessible to non-Muslim women through her designs.
“My customers come from everywhere including Japan, Australia, USA and UAE. I also have non-Muslim customers both in Singapore and other parts of the world because they feel the designs are feminine and chic—they appeal to modern women who want to dress modestly.”
Because Loveaisyah’s production and quality control teams are based in China, major challenges arose following the Covid-19 outbreak.
“It wasn’t an easy process to source fabrics via video calls because I cannot feel the materials. Plus, costs went up because we have to regularly courier fabrics and samples to and from China. I can’t say there was any way to overcome this challenge and the only way we had to get things done was to increase communication all around,” says Aisyah.
Right now, she is working on expanding her product range and sourcing for more interesting fabrics, and apart from being available both on the online store and Zalora, her collections are also available on Shopee.
“Business has grown after onboarding with Shopee. It’s not only a great platform for small businesses to widen customer base and followers, but also makes it easy for us to upload product information and participate in campaigns.”
If you’re interested in picking out a Loveaisyah piece for yourself, you’ll be glad to know that there is currently a Raya-exclusive Shopee x Loveaisyah promotion. Simply enter ‘LOVETV10’ at the checkout page for a 10 per cent discount under Shopee TV or ‘LOVETOK10’ at the checkout page for a 10 per cent discount under Shopee Tiktok.
And if you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, she also has some advice to offer.
“Don’t be afraid to embrace digital tools as they can help your business and productivity grow. Also, have an open heart so that you can continue to gain new knowledge along the way.”
Text by: Adora Wong/HerWorld