Limkokwing fashion alumna Didie Nasir gave students from the Faculty of Fashion and Lifestyle Creativity tips on how to build a fashion brand on 19 October 2017 at the University’s International Branding Gallery.
Didie started her entrepreneurial journey when she was 25 and has since built-up an impressive reputation in the fashion industry with her women’s fashion line ‘Dynda Designs’.
“Dynda was my first experience at being an entrepreneur. After graduating I wanted to have my own business and I understood how crucial it was to have an experience on the floor, so I started working at Hermes as a sales associate and worked at Robinsons as a stylist just to gain experience in the industry. So I when I was comfortable enough with my own label, that’s when Dynda came about.”
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Over time, Didie decided to switch lanes and branched into cosmetics. A year ago she co-founded Dida Cosmetics for women, which is known for producing ultra-trendy shades of cosmetics.
“I came up with the idea of having my own cosmetics when I was in New York looking for some inspiration to come up with something fun and new. I realised that there were so many independent boutique brands that were not known in the local market, we were just exposed to a few like L’Oréal and Revlon. That’s when we decided to come up with our own cosmetics brand.”
She also mentioned Kylie Jenner’s makeup line ‘Kylie Cosmetics’ as one of her main influences.
When asked how she tackles a fashion line and a cosmetics brand concurrently, Didie mentioned time management and prioritising as the most important factors in getting things done.
“With Dida I dedicate three days of the week, the rest is for Dynda and other projects I’m doing at that moment.”
Tiara Fidelia, a Diploma in Hair Design student, acknowledged the importance of industry talks and keeping students informed. “Today’s industry talk addressed what we needed to hear, especially coming from an alumna of Limkokwing University. Industry talks are important, because they give us an idea of experiences we might go through in our future careers.”
Highlighting further on the importance of industry talks, Priya Khan who is studying for a BA (Hons) in Fashion and Retailing said industry talks are inspiring, because they teach students what cannot be taught in the classroom in terms of real world experience.
Concluding the industry talk, Didie advised students who wish to own their fashion brands to be comfortable in being uncomfortable and to find out how they can be different from the rest.
“Whatever it is you want to venture into, be it creating a fashion line or going into cosmetics, you have to believe that you can do it. If you really stick to your vision, you’ll find a way to make it work,” Didie added.
