Jakarta, IO – The pandemic is not always about stagnation and limitation. 19-year old Kayla Azzahrah is proof of that: she was stuck home like the rest of us, had to attend her lectures from LSPR Communication and Business Institute, Jakarta at home like many other students, but it didn’t bring her down. She did research instead.
For the past year, Kayla looked for various materials and models of clothing. Yes, she decided to produce high quality, affordable, cute Muslim outfits for other girls of her generation. She admits her interest in fashion grew from watching her mother, Fia Prasetyahadi, a respected Muslim couture designer, at work. “I learn a lot from mama. She inspires me to work in fashion too,” she smiled.
Finally, she launched Sereena.id, her own young Muslim fashion brand, on 21 August 2022 at Dian Kenangan, Ampera, South Jakarta. “The name ‘serena’ is Italian. It is a type of satin fabric that is made with special skills. I changed it a bit just to make it trendier, and I think it pronounces better, too,” she said before the media who attended the Sereena.id launch.
Sereena.id has the advantage of being suitable for a large segment of the market. Its blouses, trousers, tunics, and long dresses are meant for teens and adults. “My products are mostly meant to be worn for formal occasions. For the starting collection, I created dominantly girly outfits in pastel colors. I mostly use tulle, organza, and silk to make them look glam,” Kayla said. “My pieces are the kind of thing that will immediately make you glow if you wear them,” she said proudly.
As a newly debuting designer, Kayla acknowledges that ideas for Sereena pieces can come from anywhere: “Sometimes when I see a person wear something, it gives me ideas. I often trawls Pinterest for ideas,” she said. “Then I make adjustments, mix and match, and adjust it to my liking. All I need to do is to choose the right color, material, and model to make it marketable.”