SME  /  E-COMMERCE

By Nurul Zulkifli | First published: May 6, 2022    Updated: March 13, 2026

Nurul Zulkifli, a homegrown Malaysian entrepreneur, reflects on her journey to success and shares her insights for e-commerce businesses in Asia.

• Starting with an initial investment of only MYR 3,000, Mimpikita rapidly grew from an online blogshop into a well-known label with both a physical presence and cross-border operations. 
• Strong branding, a clear understanding of market gaps, and an agile e-commerce strategy have been essential to this Malaysian fashion brand’s success.
• By collaborating with FedEx to streamline cross-border logistics, Mimpikita is able to provide customers across the world with a seamless and reliable fulfillment experience.

When I chose to study engineering at university, little did I expect it would lead me back to my first love: fashion.

Two decades ago, I moved to Australia to pursue a Master of Engineering after completing my bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering. Outside the classroom, I spent my free time exploring my lifelong passion for fashion. I enjoyed discovering Australia’s vibrant fashion scene and comparing it to that of my home country, Malaysia.

During my time abroad, I noticed a gap in the Malaysian market for ready-to-wear clothing and custom-made bridal gowns. This sparked my interest in starting a Malaysian fashion brand that would bring stylish yet versatile designs to local consumers. 18 years on, my local clothing brand, Mimpikita, has grown into an international label that reaches customers as far away as the US and UK.

Mimpikita: From dream to reality

When I returned from Australia to Malaysia, I persuaded my sisters, Amirah and Syahira, to go into business with me. We started out as an online blogshop with an initial investment of MYR 3,000 (around USD 630). The three of us named our new fashion brand Mimpikita, which means “our dream”.

Our e-commerce business grew quickly, and in 2009, we opened our first boutique in Sunway Damansara. Two years later, Mimpikita launched its flagship store in Bangsar, offering bridal and formalwear. As we widened our retail footprint, we continued to expand our range and create our own innovative designs.

2014 was a breakthrough year for us. We showcased our collections at the annual Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week and London Modest Fashion Week, as well as through notable collaborations with several well-known brands. We were also thrilled to collaborate with a UK retailer to sell our designs to local customers.

As our brand gained recognition, we earned several notable awards from media outlets such as Tatler, Women’s Weekly, and the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Awards.

Weathering challenges with an agile e-commerce strategy

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. Amid these successes, we also faced our fair share of setbacks.

In 2018 and 2019, we grappled with overproduction. A year later, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered lockdowns across Malaysia, severely affecting our business. We were forced to make one of our toughest decisions – to temporarily close our flagship store in Bangsar and permanently shut down an outlet at Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC).

With every dark cloud, there is a silver lining. These challenges taught us to build agility into our business model. We shifted our focus back to e-commerce and scaled up our digital marketing strategy to target the Southeast Asian market.

Today, Mimpikita continues to grow from strength to strength. In 2023, after 15 years of innovation in women’s fashion, we debuted our first men’s collection at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week. This expansion is a testament to Mimpikita’s versatility and adaptability – essential qualities that help us stay competitive in a fast-evolving industry.

Carving out a largely untapped niche and growing a Malaysian fashion brand from the ground up hasn’t been an easy journey. By pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones with passion and tenacity, my sisters and I have brought the brand to where it is today.

Serving customers with seamless fashion logistics

As a primarily online retailer, logistics is a key concern for Mimpikita. Running an e-commerce business means being accessible to shoppers around the world. Cross-border order fulfillment can be challenging, as we have to navigate complex shipping requirements.

With orders coming in from countries near and far, we need to ensure that every customer receives our products in a timely and efficient manner. Providing customers with on-time delivery and order tracking helps our brand build trust and secure repeat sales.

Our collaboration with FedEx has simplified cross-border fulfillment for us. By leveraging FedEx’s extensive global network and end-to-end tracking capabilities, Mimpikita can deliver a seamless shopping experience.

Flexible e-commerce shipping solutions such as FedEx International Connect Plus also enable our products to reach international customers reliably – whether they’re as far away as the UK and US, or residing in nearby countries such as Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia. With FedEx handling our fashion logistics, we’re free to focus on scaling our online retail operations and improving our product range.

4 tried-and-tested tips for entrepreneurs

Over nearly two decades of building Mimpikita, we’ve gained many hard-won lessons about entrepreneurship. Here are four key insights for anyone aspiring to start a business:

1. Establish a support system

The Mimpikita team is made up of passionate dreamers who came together to turn our passion into reality. In the early days, we were fortunate to have each other and the support of our family.

My sisters are my support system – they’re always there to uplift me when I need a push. All entrepreneurs need to build a strong support network, which could include mentors, other experienced entrepreneurs, coaches, or family members.

2. Identify a problem that needs to be solved

The best startups succeed because they solve an important pain point. The lack of modest apparel in the ready-to-wear and bridal markets may not seem like a significant problem, but Mimpikita’s rapid growth demonstrates strong market demand for such products, especially in more conservative countries.

3. Branding, branding, branding

Branding goes beyond logos and colors. A successful brand strategy should articulate the soul of the enterprise and create an emotional connection with consumers.

As women entrepreneurs in Malaysia, female empowerment was an important part of our brand strategy. We struck a chord with consumers through our #TheKitaGirls initiative, for instance, and coined the term “Kita Girl” to highlight women in Malaysia who embody the spirit of independence – juggling multiple roles while not forgetting about self-care.

4. Don’t be afraid of failure

The ability to learn and grow from mistakes is an entrepreneur’s greatest strength. Turn failure into your stepping stone to success in the business world. When something doesn’t work out, use it as motivation to work harder until you achieve your goals.

Although my sisters and I had minimal knowledge of the fashion world, Mimpikita has grown into what it is today through our sheer grit and determination.

After all, when we first started out, we were just three young women with big dreams. We decided to take on the challenge of creating an accessible modest clothing brand that caters to local Malaysians as well as the global market.

By bouncing back from countless setbacks, we were ultimately able to turn our aspirations into tangible success. Today, we continue to pursue our dream of making Mimpikita a timeless Malaysian fashion brand – one that will grow with our customers and accompany them through life’s special moments.

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Nurul Zulkifli is the CEO and creative director of Mimpikita, a contemporary modest fashion brand that started as a blogshop in 2008. She is a self-taught entrepreneur who attributes her sense of style to growing up in a creative household with strong fashion and artistic influences.