Mompreneur Zairin Azman is the founder of UMMA (derived from the Arabic word “ummah”, which means a community bound together by ties of religion). Since its establishment in 2016, the local fashion brand has evolved “from minimal designs to incorporating printed fabrics” as well as including menswear in its festive collection.
Enters the Alun Eid 2021 collection, which features new timeless pieces to update your wardrobe this Hari Raya season. In this interview, the supermom of 3 kids talk about how UMMA has been coping throughout the pandemic, and what makes Alun so special.
1. How are you coping with the current changes?
It has been one year since the Covid situation. For the past few months, I have moved along with the flow and over the past year we have learnt to adapt with the new situation. I am an entrepreneur, mom and wife so having to work at home, I have to manage the household. I have also learnt how to manage my time better and I would say time is precious and I will make sure every single minute is counted for; I will do something beneficial for myself and the company.
2. How different is Raya pre-covid and post-covid?
Pre-covid I would say Raya was merrier, the number of open houses and visits were a lot higher. So, it is definitely different from the previous Raya, nowadays you can’t see as many people as you’d like. Everything is done virtually for you to communicate and stay connected with family and friends.
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3. Tell us a bit about 2021 Raya Collection
This year’s Raya collection still has the same aesthetics as the previous collections. I’d still emphasise on the comfort and the fabrication, is important for me. Most importantly, I would like umma customers to feel comfortable in what they wear and I want the collection to be something that they will wear for years to come.
The collection this year is definitely more evergreen and sustainable, perfect to be passed down for generations to come.
4. Tell us a bit about the collection.
The name of the collection is called Alun. I gave it Alun because of the detailing we have with all the clothing this year. I can’t wait for everyone to see it as we have waves and scallop detailing which relates so much to the situation that we are in. Alun also means that you would want to move along together with the waves. People say, go with the flow.
We focus more on plain textured fabric but we also have our own in-house printed design (for women) and kurtas for men. In total, we have 10 designs for both women and men.
