Tales of travels
COLOURFUL POM POMS
To make the baskets more attractive, Safuraa has included colourful pom poms, made by a refugee from Myanmar, to tie on the handles.
The colour schemes are derived from some of her favourites places in South America including La Paz and Uyuni in Bolivia and Cusco in Peru.
“Mowgli Store is largely influenced by my trips to South America in 2015. The pom poms and tassels are called foreigncharms. They are dedicated to travellers who love to take a piece of their trip home, while leaving a part of their hearts behind.”
She is working on the next collection of pom poms based on places of interest in Berlin, Germany, where she used to live for a few years.
An architect by profession, Safuraa is handling her business in her spare time. As she is self-funded, she has learnt not to waste resources and to do everything herself — from accounts, inventory, packing and posting, public relations and to creating a website.
“Creating new products can be challenging as I can get lost in my own thoughts. Linear decision-making can result in a rigid outcome, so it is important that I get feedback from family and friends.
“I spend time at weekend markets to get feedback from customers. If you do what you love, things become much easier.
In addition to selling her baskets online, Safuraa has five stockists in the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Baru.
With overwhelming response for her baskets, Safuraa is excited about Mowgli Store’s plans.
These include designing and producing original products, pushing boundaries with local materials and producing through groups and cooperatives.
“I want the baskets to be designed and made in Malaysia at some point. But I need to know more about the materials and processes.
“Our traditional materials can be a trend too. My role is to let people understand the value of these goods and how important it is to support the people who make them. We need to learn from our traditional wicker makers and improvise the products to keep them relevant in the market.”