Indonesian Kebaya Designer Shares Tips for Entering Foreign Markets

Kuala Lumpur (ANTARA) - Indonesian kebaya designer Vielga Wennida has shared tips for micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to enter foreign markets. The owner of Roemah Kebaya Vielga said the initial step SMEs can take in targeting overseas markets is to strengthen their identity and social media networks. “In my opinion, you must have an identity. Besides that, originality is very important,” Vielga said during a conversation with ANTARA on the sidelines of the inauguration of an exclusive partnership between Roemah Kebaya Vielga and a Malaysian retail and distribution platform, Collabstore, in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Vielga’s kebaya designs, which have now penetrated the Singapore and Malaysian markets, possess originality because they are made manually. According to her, kebayas produced in other countries are generally the result of computer-based machine production, and can be mass-produced. Meanwhile, her kebayas are very exclusive because they are handmade, giving them a personal touch, and each of her designs is one of a kind. “This is truly done personally. There is one kebaya that is worked on by up to three people. To make a kebaya with perforated kerancang, for example, that is manual,” she said. Vielga continued that the next step SMEs can take to enter foreign markets is to study what the market in the destination country wants, for instance regarding the culture or habits of the people there. Vielga gave an example that to enter Malaysia, she made adjustments to the kebaya designs according to what Malaysian consumers want. “Malaysians like long kebayas, because there are many Muslims here. So you have to match the design with the Muslim style, then adjust the type of material, embroidery techniques, and even colours,” she said. She said that with the help of social media, products can become widely known, even internationally. Thus, the opportunity for products to be recognised and liked by the public abroad becomes wide open. Separately, the Minister Counsellor/Coordinator of the Economic Function at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Kuala Lumpur, Hendra Purnama Iskandar, who attended the inauguration of the partnership between Roemah Kebaya Vielga and Collabstore, offered advice to SMEs wanting to enter international markets. According to Hendra, to enter foreign markets, SMEs must strive to produce the best products. “SMEs can enter on the condition that they make the best, not just anything. And the best does not mean the most expensive, but its sustainability, and then attractive packaging,” Hendra told ANTARA. As a diplomat who has served for four years as Minister Counsellor, Hendra is accustomed to facilitating partnerships between Indonesian and Malaysian businesses through business matching. He advised national business players to always observe what the public in the destination country needs. “Do not force the idea that ‘okay, it sells in Jakarta, it sells in Bandung, it will definitely sell in Malaysia’, that is not necessarily true. So we must study market tastes,” Hendra said. “We see the colours of Vielga’s kebayas, these are like what we commonly find in Malacca, for example. So really study market tastes,” he added. Furthermore, Hendra conveyed that KBRI KL is committed to continuously encouraging and helping facilitate Indonesian SMEs to penetrate the Malaysian market. KBRI KL also routinely reviews Malaysian market demand. “All this time we have also observed what Malaysian people buy when they go to Indonesia. From there, we think, why don’t we present it here, to introduce Indonesian textiles and creative economy products,” Hendra explained.