Career Confessions: The fashion stylist who reinvented modest wear and turned it into a successful business

Do you like your job? Or wonder what it would be like if you’d gone against your parents’ advice and pursued your dream career? Her World’s Career Confessions column spotlights the professional journeys of its subjects and reveals how each individual’s career path and the choices they have made can have an impact on their personal finances, psychological health, and interpersonal relationships.

Most entrepreneurs will tell you that running a business is no easy feat, especially if you are operating in a niche market. Adlina Anis, a content creator and former fashion stylist, can relate: The 40-year-old is the founder of her eponymous brand (Adlinaanis.com), which offers stylish modest wear designed for Muslim women.

Adlina has always been focused on innovation – she was the first in Singapore to offer a earphone-friendly hijab in 2013, as well as hijabs designed for sports, before mainstream sports brands caught on years later. The brand also sets itself apart with its assiduousness and painstaking attention to detail. “We care deeply about the quality of our products, and I think our customers appreciate that attention to detail and quality,” she says. “We don’t outsource anything, and we do everything in-house – from sourcing of materials to tech stack and marketing.”

Adlina and her team – two staffers in Singapore, and seven in Indonesia – manage the development and the running of the website themselves.

Adlina is no stranger to standing out from the crowd. After graduating from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in Fashion Design in 2007, she cut her teeth as a stylist for local fashion magazines like Prestige, L’Officiel and Amica. In the dynamic world of high fashion, Adlina’s journey was unique – she was one of the few fashion stylists who wore a hijab, challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers in an industry often perceived as exclusive.

“In Singapore, fashion is often seen as the sanctum of the liberal and free-spirited, so there were some who felt that a young woman wearing a hijab had no place in high fashion,” she shares. “I dealt with the challenge by focusing on my work and being as good – if not better – than my peers. I also fought those feelings of being ostracised by being nice to everybody. It took some time, but in the end, I found genuinely good people who were nothing but supportive once they got to know me.”

Below, Adlina shares more about her journey towards entrepreneurship, and the lessons she’s picked up along the way.

Name: Adlina Anis
Highest Education: Diploma in Apparel Design and Merchandising
Job Title & Industry: Entrepreneur
Years of Work Experience: 18

How did the idea for the brand come about?

It was actually my husband’s aunt who kick-started everything – she handed me a bag of scarves to see if I could make anything out of it. The push came at the right time as people around me were asking me to style them in modest-wear, and seeking advice about the hijab. I started selling a few scarves, and was amazed to see that people were interested in what I had to offer. One bag soon turned into four, and from there, the demand kept increasing. I saw there was an opportunity to be seized. It’s been 12 years and we are still here, taking modest fashion forward.

What were some of the challenges you faced in running your own business, and how did you overcome them?

As an SME, we are faced with the perennial problem of scaling. For example, I am not able to buy out entire inventories of fabric because I need to allocate the budget for other business needs. Then there’s production sampling and quality control – we’ve had to discard an entire series because it didn’t meet our expectations. Other challenges are logistical, such as fulfilling orders from customers across the world. No matter the challenge, however, we tackle them by working closely as a team, and always focusing on wanting the best for our customers.

What keeps you going during tough times?

There were dark days when I wanted to give up. The Covid-19 lockdown was especially challenging. However, we dug deep and promised our staff in Singapore and Indonesia continuous employment regardless of the situation. For six months, my business partner and I went without a salary to keep everything afloat. Thankfully, we came out on the other side stronger and more grateful than ever. Knowing that my family and team were willing to go through the tough times with me helped keep me sane.

What are some memorable moments you’ve had since setting up your brand?

There are so many happy moments. Even now, every time there is an order, it makes me happy because it means someone values our work. It sounds cheesy, but it really does wonders for our morale. One of the proudest moments we’ve had so far is being commissioned to design the head scarf for Muslim members of Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) ground crew. SIA reached out to me because they wanted to see if we were interested in helping them with the design process – of course, I said yes.

All this took place at the height of Covid restrictions, so there were many issues to deal with – from fabric availability, production and logistics to integrating features requested by the ground staff into the design. The entire process took up to a year, but today, we are so happy to see our designs being donned by employees of our national carrier. I beam with pride whenever I see the ladies in my scarves.

What advice do you have for women who are planning on setting up their own business?

The best advice I can give is to not lose your sense of self in the pursuit of success. Be nice to the people around you, because there is enough ugliness in this world. And while it’s important to work harder than anyone else, it’s equally important to take time for self-care. You are not your business.

PHOTOGRAPHY Athirah Annissa
ART DIRECTION Adeline Eng
HAIR & MAKEUP Aung Apichai, using Guerlain & Kevin Murphy