How it all began for Shals

Fashion is an ever evolving industry with new trends emerging every now and then. To truly stand out in a saturated market, a brand needs to establish a strong identity. One such brand that has garnered a huge customer base with its modern and minimalist designs is Shals, a homegrown fashion label founded by popular TV host Shalma Ainaa and her sisters.

Now in its 10th year in fashion, Shals offers clothes and accessories for men and women and soon, for kids too.

The brand is now helmed under the creative direction of Shalma, whose interest in sewing was picked up during her younger days when she would watch her own mother sew clothes for her and her sisters.

That, and her experience studying fashion in London, drove her to become what she is today.

"I was inspired by the people there as I walked to my university. I wanted to dress like them and the people there generally inspired me," she told Sinar Daily.

Shals is available online and through its retail store located at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara.

Shalma said it was crucial for her to be able to offer customers a both online and offline experience to not only feel and see the products itself, but having a store where people could walk in allows them to engage and meet new customers, thus expanding their community.

Just like other businesses, the brand was in for a bumpy ride as they navigated its way through the pandemic, but Shalma persevered through the challenges she faced as a business owner.

Even as a celebrity and influencer, Shalma admitted it’s hard to stay relevant in the clothing industry, but her passion for fashion is what drives her to keep going and plus, giving up was never an option.

“Although it is tough but it is not impossible, I believe there are ways to go around the problem and the most important thing is not to give up,” she said.

For this year’s Aidifiltri celebration, Shalma said the Shals team had been preparing for the celebration since October, 2021 which is also her most favorite collection to date. She also had the opportunity to create her own short film inspired by her own life dubbed ‘Memori by Shals’.

“Raya has always been hectic for Shals because it’s always crunch time. These few months were very tiring but very satisfying at the same time. But we pushed through to achieve our target.

“Who does not love the festive season right? I am very thankful that Shals is one of the brands that people look forward to during raya celebration,” she added.