If you’re into fashion and retail, you would have probably heard of Adrianna Yariqa.
Led by Muhammad Sufiyan Yahya and his wife, Nurlida Yusof, the local fashion label is known for its traditional and modern Malay clothing and has been the talk of the town since making their way into the retail scene 4 years ago. Over the years, Adrianna Yariqa has grown rapidly – from clinching celebrity endorsements to participating in annual festive bazaars as well as runway shows like the Singapore Fashion Week Runway at National Gallery Singapore last year. These various opportunities for exposure inspired the duo to explore avenues for expansion beyond Singapore. Furthermore, the growing number of modest retailers in Singapore pushed the pair to consider making an entry into a new market.
Sufiyan was introduced to Qamarul, one of our Business Advisors from SME Centre @SMCCI where he shared his plans to internationalise and reach into the Indonesian market, which is mostly populated by Muslims. “We currently have an e-commerce website in Singapore and thought it would be a good have a similar site for customers in Indonesia without having to set up a physical storefront. However, we were not too sure how to go about doing so and turned to Qamarul for assistance,” explained Sufiyan.
Market-Ready Assistance Grant
Qamarul introduced the duo to the Market-Ready Assistance (MRA) Grant provided by IE Singapore, where SMEs can cover their third-party costs for up to 70% under the following:
• Overseas market set-up
• Identification of business partners
• Overseas market promotion
Through Qamarul’s help, the pair successfully applied for the MRA Grant and have since registered an office in Indonesia where they hired a marketing representative to manage the company’s e-commerce site. “Apart from applying for MRA, I advised them to develop a roadmap for expansion where they can conduct a market research on the market. This would put them in a better position to analyse market feasibility, identify their target audience and focus their efforts on reaching out to them,” explained Qamarul.
Adrianna Yariqa is currently in the testing stages of their e-commerce site in Indonesia and anticipates exponential growth in their customer base in Indonesia. “We hope that the launch of this site will give customers in Indonesia the chance to appreciate modern modest wear and increase our brand awareness in a new market,” shared Sufiyan.