Eastern Mirror’s Style Spot gives you an insider look into the local style scene, bringing you the latest news and trends in the fashion industry. Every Wednesday we offer a fun and exciting line up of artists that you won’t want to miss out on!!
We showcase Designers, Stylists, Models, Bloggers, Make-up Artists and Fashion Entrepreneurs each with their unique perspective on fashion. Whether you love beautifully layered laidback summery vibes in pastel or a bit of Edge in leather appliquéd on cropped jackets and tunics you can find Your Style Inspiration Here! Ever deliberated about starting your own trade? Meet
Zuboni Humtsoe, the brain child behind Precious Melove (PML), an online fashion house.
With the key objective of producing and promoting ‘Made in Nagaland’ fashion designs. PML started in the year 2011 in a garage with savings from scholarship and four years later the online fashion site and brand have attracted over 1000 clients across the country.
For Fashion maniacs, PML is just a click away. Read on to know more on PML……..
EASTERN MIRROR: Tell us about yourself. How did Precious Me Love come about and what was the idea behind it?
Zuboni Humtsoe: Precious Melove was founded by me with the help and support of my sister- Lozano Humtsoe, who left her air-hostess career to work in the business full-time. A lot of factors and circumstances resulted in the starting up of ‘Precious Melove’. While it helped us support our family, it also gave us the space and opportunity to realize our creativity and talent at working really hard and it gave us a chance to work on causes and issues we were always passionate about.
EASTERN MIRROR: What is the account behind the name “Precious Me Love”? What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced launching Precious Me Love?
Zuboni Humtsoe: The biggest challenge is definitely the lack of encouragement and support from our own people. While there are many who love and support us, there are also many who are very critical and discourage us because we are not trying to get a ‘stable govtjob’. But this has only made us more determined to work harder and succeed, so it has been a blessing in disguise.
EASTERN MIRROR: How would you define Precious Me Love and who is it aimed at?
Zuboni Humtsoe: PML is all about happy people coming together, tapping our creative veins, thinking outside the box, having fun and celebrating life. Our work is enjoyed by all, though we sell only women’s clothing at the moment, and we aim to continue inspiring everyone, transcending age or gender in our own humble but creative way.
EASTERN MIRROR: As Precious Me Love is conceded through social media and online trade, how do you develop relationships with people you don’t know?
Zuboni Humtsoe: Our customers/clients/supporters are our No.1 Priority. The out-pour of support has been the sole reason we have come so far, everybody, every comment, every message, we personally reply to and handle. We handle public relations and orders on our own mostly so that we can also listen and understand our clients and their needs, build a relationship that doesn’t just stop with the sale of a product. We are very proud to have managed to build trust with clients across the country who have become loyal patrons and would buy only from us for their special days or events like- engagements, marriage parties, vacations, birthdays, anniversaries, for surprise gifting purposes, etc.
EASTERN MIRROR: How do you see technology working for the fashion industry?
Zuboni Humtsoe: Technology has changed everything; made work easier and better, connected people easily breaking geographical boundaries etc. The fashion industry is ever changing and it has also jumped on the technology bandwagon to provide better products and services. Social media has become a very important tool for marketing and creating and maintaining brand images. Because of technology the fashion scene has dramatically changed, now one doesn’t need a lot of investment to set up a business or a brand.
EASTERN MIRROR: What is the guiding theory for your business and how do you engage in the work place?
Zuboni Humtsoe: Organic Growth, Being first generation entrepreneurs, designers, photographers, marketing people, brands, etc., it is imperative to go slow and grow slow. A strong base/foundation lasts longer than a weak one. We personally involve ourselves in every aspect of our business and growth to learn and understand the dynamics and process’ of the business. Many Nagas fail because we try to jump when we haven’t even learnt to walk the steps in business, we leave everything to employees and workers and in turn fail to learn the basics of our own businesses. It is imperative to understand that as owners or leaders of our businesses, we should walk a 100 miles ahead of our team so that we can lead them better.
Our team believes in dignity of labor, we do not shy away from any type of work ever; instead we try to embrace learning everyday to help us grow. We also try to listen to our clients as much as possible and get feedbacks to try and improve our products, designs and services.
EASTERN MIRROR: How will Precious Me Love grow in future? How has it been received?
Zuboni Humtsoe: The response has been phenomenal, it was something we never expected or even dreamed about. We’ve had more men folk come up to support and encourage us, we have many heart-warming memories and experiences where they would buy for their loved ones from us and share more about our stories everywhere. While we have loyal patrons from across the country, we are also very proud to have young Naga working women across different lines of work from our own state being very vocal about our brand to push us to the next level. We are truly proud to be working towards pushing our own ‘Made in Nagaland’ brand.
EASTERN MIRROR: How do you envision the future of your services?
Zuboni Humtsoe: Our Vision is to make PML a world class ‘Made in Nagaland’ brand.
EASTERN MIRROR: How much of your business is driven by online buyers/clients?
Zuboni Humtsoe: 80 % is driven by online buyers/clients.
EASTERN MIRROR: What’s your view on the strength of Nagaland’s technology business?
Zuboni Humtsoe: Ecommerce is booming throughout the world and with technology anyone can do anything. There is a lot of opportunities untapped right now but because of the lack of proper infrastructure and services there is a lot of challenges that everyone faces every day in Nagaland. Many times we have had to run around internet cafes due to poor connectivity, frequent power-cuts, a lot of work gets delayed etc. The Government should really look into providing at least proper basic infrastructure; if it improves there is scope for so much more growth and job opportunities for all.
