samira shihab

Crafting Future-Forward Impact

Samira Shihab, a business builder and community leader, believes that women empowerment plays a pivotal role in the economy and future of Indonesia. She observed that in the past two years, the economy has been led by womenowned businesses and Indonesia has seen more women making their dreams come true. Having experienced barriers and challenges in the dynamic tech industry, she’s proven that she drives waves of impact through her leadership. Together with co-founder Aliya Amitra, she presented Tinkerlust.com, Indonesia’s premier e-commerce platform to buy and sell preloved items.

The story of Tinkerlust began in 2016 with the realisation that the vertical e-commerce for preloved luxury and branded fashion didn’t exist in Indonesia. Finding the right platform to redistribute unused fashion items and look for preloved items at guaranteed quality and price levels was pretty difficult. With her platform, Samira aspires to become a market leader in the industry. Now, Tinkerlust is home to a massive list of brands, both local and international, making an impression in Indonesia’s fashion landscape.

However, Samira didn’t just stop there. She wants to support a circular economy and start a sustainable fashion movement, while also empowering women and providing a community for individuals who focus on beauty and fashion. This eventually inspired her and her friends to establish a community called Stellar Women in 2019. The platform provides the opportunity and support for women leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs to build their skills and connect with other passionate women. In three short years, Stellar has grown to reach 15,000 members nationwide.

Tinkerlust and Stellar Women are among the greatest achievements that Samira has achieved so far, yet she’s most proud of raising her two young daughters with a life principle of giving your best and letting the universe do the rest. With her resilience and grit, she wants to keep inspiring more Indonesian women to pursue their dreams – and then inspire other women in turn. And with her platform and community, she wishes for equal opportunity for women, as well as gender equality in order to create a better future for everyone.