KUALA LUMPUR: When two school friends who have always shared a love for canvas tote bags realised that people were willing to pay good money for it, they decided to go into business together once they graduated from school.
Shanice Hoi, 34 and Julia Lam, 35, are the founders behind BE.SIMPLE Bag, a range of tote bags bearing hand-embroidered patterns that are elegant and stylish.
Speaking about her friendship with Lam, Hoi told FMT: “I remember we used to love frequenting community markets that feature a lot of handmade stuff, especially those in Chiang Mai, Thailand.”
Once the idea of selling hand-embroidered tote bags for a living took root, the two decided to take punch needle embroidery classes together.
Punch needle is a form of embroidery which uses a large needle-like tool to punch loops of yarn into a chosen fabric, not too different from tufting, which is all the rage right now.
“Initially we planned to print the patterns onto the bags, but after we were exposed to the world of embroidery, we realised it will make our products feel much more personal and handmade,” Hoi added.
The venture wasn’t without its fair share of difficulties, though.
As with all businesses that involve handmade crafts, the duo went through a long period of trial and error when trying to source the perfect fabric and threads for their tote bags. Nationwide lockdowns as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic did not help either.
“The lockdown made things harder for us too since we couldn’t go to the shops physically to see for ourselves the texture and shading of the fabric. So, we could only know for sure when it got delivered to us,” Lam said.
The pricing of their products was another issue. Some customers felt it was too pricey for a canvas bag but the duo rationalised that their bags were hand-embroidered, and often took days to complete depending on the intricacy of the design.
In the beginning, BE.SIMPLE Bag was a purely online business but as their brand gained more exposure from the community markets they participated in, they saw the need for a physical presence as well in the market.
“Through the exposure we got from the markets, a number of people got to know our brand. We even collaborated with a restaurant once to custom-make pillow cases for their display,” Hoi recalled.
When asked if there was any particularly memorable request from a client, they unanimously agreed that it was when they were tasked with embroidering a company’s logo on a tent.
“We had to embroider their logo on a huge piece of fabric which then had to be sewn onto the tent itself, and the amount of time and effort spent on that was quite something,” Hoi said, adding that it was an eye-opening experience due to the scale of the finished product.
BE.SIMPLE Bag also markets pouches, pillow cases, keychains and hair clips.
That said, how did the name of the brand come about? Apparently, it is the very same name of the social media account the duo shared years ago.
“We used the page to post pictures of our outings, and when we decided to start a business together, our friend suggested we use that name for the brand.
“Another friend was even kind enough to help us design the logo! If you look closely, you’ll see that it’s the Chinese word for ‘simple’ which is illustrated by an embroidery hoop, a punch needle and a spool of thread.”
You can follow BE.SIMPLE Bag on Instagram and Facebook.
BE.SIMPLE Bag @ BooKu
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