The story of Raeesa began in 2012, when its founder, Erny Yusmiarty Erizal, began selling trendy and stylish batik apparel, naming the business after her daughter.
Erny used her creativity as a designer to merge traditional batik motifs into modern, fashionable clothes for customers.
The brand provides freedom to its customers to play around with their creativity. "We put our best effort to customise each piece carefully to meet customers' expectations. Our team of experts continues to use the distinctive traditional process of hand-painting to this day," she says.
While Pieces by Raeesa remains the mainstay, PBR by Raeesa is its diffusion line, which is available on Zalora, offering batik clothing at lower price points.
Erny says she senses an exciting Eid spirit this year, after two years of not being able to celebrate with families and friends.
"I'm definitely excited for this coming Eid since it is one of our main and biggest collections of the year."
SPEND OR SAVE
When it comes to customer spending, Erny says her brand's market is quite niche, focusing on adults over the age of 30. "Since our customers are mostly working adults, we can say that they are in the middle – not too cautious about spending, but not those who overspend either.
"Most customers are leaning toward prudent spending. If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it's to be prepared for the worst. But everyone deserves a break from the devastating situation, so why not enjoy life a little?"
For PBR by Raeesa, Erny says the brand wants to expand its market and make its products more accessible to customers.
"We want to go for a softer look for Zalora but there are also deep colours to give the collection depth and variety," she says.
Erny says she notices a fine line between traditional and contemporary Raya apparel. "It's a trend that comes and goes. Some women like mixing and matching tops with sarong, while others like the traditionally paired Hari Raya clothing.
"If I had to choose, I would go with traditional Raya clothing. Most of our customers at Pieces By Raeesa return for the traditional baju kurung cut. Even on Zalora, we can see that the majority of customers are looking for traditional ones as well."
Erny says when it comes to batik and clothes in general, fabric is important. "We enjoy experimenting, but we are quite clear about our direction. I believe the type of fabric we use and the characteristics of our colours best define our brand," she says.
Apply Zalora Voucher at check out when shopping for batik clothing to enjoy extra markdowns.