He is showing FMT this year’s designs for the traditional clothing he sells under the Bulan Bintang label, his own brand of traditional Malay garments.
Only a month ago, the 24-year-old finally opened his first Bulan Bintang boutique, a luxurious Raya fashion store in Bandar Bangi.
While many of his contemporaries are still studying or struggling to climb the corporate ladder, Azzim has his hands full managing his brand, his warehouse, his boutique, and his staff of 40.
Bulan Bintang sells Baju Melayu Cekak Musang and kurta in assorted colours and designs.
“But I’m not a tailor – I don’t know how to sew clothes. No, I am a passionate entrepreneur,” he says. “Many people are scared to go into business, but it doesn’t have to be that way. What’s important is to know what you want. The rest, you can figure out.”
He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had to start at the bottom at the age of 17, printing t-shirts in secondary school. He continued with his t-shirt business even after he left school and was studying at a local university.
His passion for business kept pushing him to find fresh ideas.
In 2019, he decided to get into the “rag trade”, a term for the garment business, by selling traditional Malay outfits at night markets. “It wasn’t easy. I did the designing, the fabric selections, and the marketing all on my own,” he says.
Every evening, he struggled to take his heavy steam iron to the market on his motorbike.
Now that he’s successful, he remembers the encouragement and support of family and friends that helped keep his business focus and his dreams alive.
“I’m lucky to have friends who are willing to lend a helping hand whenever I need them, especially now as my business is getting bigger than ever,” he says.
He believes that opinions and suggestions from friends are critical for business growth.
As a tech savvy youngster, he had used social media to sell his products.
“Back then, I usually received around 300 online orders and I had to wrap and pack each order for delivery,” he says. “It’s a different story now. These days, Bulan Bintang receives thousands of orders, I can’t do the wrapping on my own any more.”
This year, he intends Bulan Bintang to reach a bigger market by collaborating with local celebrities and using radio advertising to improve brand awareness.
He also plans to expand his brand into casual wear as well.
For Raya this year, Bulan Bintang produced 80,000 slim-fit and tailored-fit Baju Melayu and kurta for customers across the country.
It’s been a while since he had to do everything himself, but as he is now becoming the successful businessman he always knew he would be, he never forgets his humble beginnings printing t-shirts.
As FMT leaves his warehouse, he is already back monitoring his staff as they check and pack the thousands of Bulan Bintang items ready to be sent out to customers.
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