From Home Sewing to Success: Pertamina-Supported UMKM Builds Thriving Mukena Business

Starting from a personal need for comfortable, lightweight, attractive and easily transportable prayer veils, Shofiya Khaeroni decided to make one herself. The Airlangga University Faculty of Economics graduate brought her creations to her circle of friends.

Her friends appreciated Shofiya’s handiwork. Some of them placed orders for personal use or to sell within their own social circles.

“We like to gather together, and now it’s called socialising,” Shofiya explained to Republika about how her business began. “I wore the prayer veil I sewed myself for prayers, and friends would ask, ‘Your veil is beautiful,’ and notice the comfortable material. They would ask, ‘Can I order from you?’”

Motivated by this interest, she decided to start a mukena business. Initially, she used conventional tailoring services to make her prayer veils and participated in various exhibitions and bazaars.

“The development was good too, and eventually I established my own tailoring workshop and decided to open a shop,” Shofiyah said.

From her interest in fashion design, Shofiya eventually established a tailoring workshop and opened a boutique at Thamrin City in Jakarta in 2018, naming it Shokha—an abbreviation of her full name. Her entrepreneurial journey was not without difficulty, as she faced various challenges including intense competition, competitive pricing pressures, and limited capital.

However, this mother of one did not give up. From sewing one or two prayer veils for personal use, she now produces 100 mukenah daily and operates two boutiques, one in Jakarta and one in Surabaya. According to her, attractive designs and patterns combined with comfortable materials and competitive prices keep customers returning to her shops.

With her own tailoring workshop and access to fabric suppliers, Shokha can produce mukenah with the most trending designs and patterns. Shofiyah also takes full advantage of all available support assistance.