It’s sure that, in this era of meme culture, you hear about the meme-
Nobody.
Literally nobody:
Two friends: Let’s start a business!
The case of the two owners of Mitosree, a small business, was almost similar. As a Bangladeshi young adult lady, it’s not unusual that you must have an immense love for Sharee. The founder Tasfia Tabassum Toishee and co-founder Ramisa Anan Troey of Mitosree agreed that this was their very first influence for starting the business
How it started
It was a sunny afternoon in March. Two running students of BBA, insecure and tensed about careers, sitting at Rabindra Sarobar of Dhanmondi, were ranting about what would happen with their future. What if they will remain unemployed? What if they can’t figure it out?
With the mid-twenty crisis, the idea of starting a business also hit like the previously mentioned meme. That was the very first `not so sure about’ plan of starting Mitosree. After that unofficial planning to start something of their own, it took four months to start the business.
Before starting it, a lot more planning and preparation was needed. Those took these five months to start officially.
The founder and creative director of Mitosree, Tasfia mentioned that, “Besides the love for sharees, the interest for designing and creating also influenced me to start this business. Before starting my clothing line, I used to stalk sharees of other established aesthetic brands like- Poter Bibi, Menka, Khut, etc. But the idea of designing my own, shaping it from imagination to reality- always attracts me. New designs and concepts haunt me every time. That’s why I thought- why not start my brand and provide new ideas?”
The founder also added that she had a family background from her maternal side of hand-stitched bed sheets, clothes, shawls, etc. Her grandparents, aunts, and mother’s skills and creativity also inspired this creative soul to grow.
On the other hand, the co-founder of Mitosree, Ramisa said that besides being a student, she thinks a person needs an identity of his or her own. This philosophy of standing out from others inspired her to start the brand.
How is it different from other
Mitosree’s products are mainly wearing-based. They produce sharee, panjabi, shawl, kurti. Their main theme for producing those products is providing gorgeousness through simplicity. There is a famous punch line in Bangla- ‘Simple er moddhe Gorgeous’ which is a perfect fit for the brand. Their tagline ‘Shadamatay Byatikrom’ holds the same meaning.
Tasfia said, “Today’s trend in fashion mostly focuses on comfort. People search for elegance through simplicity and comfort. That’s why we are trying to introduce people to more aesthetic pieces. We experiment with our colors, materials for providing elegance and comfort at a time, which make our products comfortably attractive and unique.”
Strength and Weaknesses
The brand is online-based. As both owners of the brand are currently undergraduate students, they couldn’t start the brand with a physical outlet. So it’s a blessing for them that online-based shopping is growing rapidly. It opened their window for reaching their audience. Also, they can operate it from anywhere in the world. A funny story shared by the co-founder Ramisa, who also manages social media and finance, was that a year ago she was on a tour in Kuakata. She was replying to a customer of the page’s inbox while she was enjoying the waves of sea beach on her feet. See? That’s the benefit of remoteness.
Although the remoteness of online business helps from so many aspects, the threat is- its nature of time consumption. Also, some basic technical knowledge is needed to grow the online platform, a lack of which sometimes takes a toll on the business. Additionally, as a student, sometimes it becomes quite difficult to balance everything at a time.
The journey till now
Both the founder and co-founder agreed to the point that, as business students, they learned a lot of functions of business, practically through the business. Although at the time of starting costs the highest effort, it gave them an identity. Many operations of business like- sourcing raw materials, producing final products from them, launching them in front of targeted audiences, and reaching them to the customers helped them to build a network. This networking is not just helping them grow their business, it also opens many more opportunities for them. They also acknowledged that friends and family were their biggest supporters through this journey which helped them to reach the current state.
What’s Next?
Being a brand that will not only provide quality products but also create stories with its customers. Mitosree is looking to introduce many more new products which will grow their connection with their actual supporters. They are currently working on expanding their business outside the border. Their next target is to provide faster and more secure delivery service inside and outside the country.
Besides holding traditional values and spreading uniqueness through simplicity, Mitosree is determined to connect future generations with the stories, and fashion trends of different times.