Afina Candarini, Nadya Karina, and Istafiana Candarini are the founders of KAMI Idea, a local Muslim fashion brand that has successfully made its mark on the global fashion stage. Not only are they creative in fashion, these three friends are also adept at managing finances, with the assistance of Jago Syariah digital services.
Jakarta, 12 August 2023 - As one of the pioneer modest fashion brands in the country, KAMI Idea has successfully created trends in Muslim clothing with unique designs in the Indonesian Muslim fashion market. This Muslim fashion brand was founded in 2009 by three friends: Istafiana Candarini, Nadya Karina, and Afina Candarini.
The brand "KAMI" is derived from the Japanese word meaning "God," while "Idea" means idea. Philosophically, the three great women, affectionately called Irin, Karin, and Afina, interpret their brand as a form of gratitude to God for inspiring their creations.
"So 'KAMI Idea' we summarize as the ideas we receive from God to create works," explained Afina during a media visit to their office on Thursday (9/8/2023).
Karin recounted that the idea to start a fashion business stemmed from boredom as office workers. With limited capital, the three friends then bravely produced and sold unique accessories like necklaces, despite not having any prior entrepreneurial background. From these creations, KAMI Idea added scarves, which eventually became the foundation for their hijab products.
"The development of KAMI was actually very organic, even the production of hijabs started from the requests of KAMI’s loyal customers," explained Karin.
By mid-2019, KAMI's business fully transitioned to clothing and scarves, thanks to the support of a large community. Its business scale expanded due to a balanced offline and online marketing strategy, as well as strong customer loyalty. Even when the Covid-19 pandemic devastated various industries, KAMI Idea's business remained resilient and continued to grow.
According to Karin, the use of materials with printed designs is the unique feature of KAMI's fashion products, which are difficult to find in other products. This product advantage has made KAMI successful in both online and offline markets, with a total of 26 boutiques spread across Indonesia. Additionally, KAMIS has expanded its market to neighboring countries such as Malaysia.
This success has led them to participate in numerous national and international fashion shows. The pinnacle was when KAMI Idea was invited to showcase their works at New York Fashion Week 2023. "This is a new achievement for entering the international fashion market," said Afina.
Irin, Karin, and Afina had an interesting financial experience before their departure to New York, USA in February 2023. As devout Muslims, they were initially confused about finding a national sharia banking service that was easy to use and accepted in the global market. "A friend then told us that Bank Jago has the Jago Syariah App, which is easy to open an account with, and its Visa debit card can be used everywhere," Afina revealed.
The three KAMI Idea founders admitted that they were greatly helped by the convenience of Jago Syariah App’s services and features during and after the New York Fashion Week 2023 event. According to them, the Jago Syariah Visa debit card was very helpful when making transactions abroad, especially when traveling with KAMI's creations on the international runways.
Afina, a mother of three, stated that she is responsible for managing her personal finances, both for daily activities, travel, and allocating funds for her children. Thanks to the Pockets feature in the Jago Syariah App, Afina admitted that her financial management system is much better than before.
"As an entrepreneur, I need a bank service with sharia principles that can meet my personal transaction needs, including when abroad. Jago Syariah has that capability. With the Pockets feature, I can also allocate funds for family needs, including for my three children," she explained.
Like conventional Jago App users, all Jago Syariah customers can also enjoy no monthly administrative fees. There are also free cash withdrawals at all ATMs and free interbank transfers up to 150 times, depending on the level of each customer's account. Customers can also use Shared Pockets, which allows them to save collectively with family or friends to achieve shared goals. Jago Syariah is also integrated with the digital ecosystem in Indonesia, such as Gojek and GoPay, as well as the digital investment app Bibit.
