Anifa Mvuemba of Hanifa Official
As a contemporary women’s wear designer who creates statement, curve inclusive apparel for women, Anifa Mvuemba, who was previously known as a customs and alterations seamstress, has gained a great deal of recognition as the founder and lead designer of Hanifa. Since the launch of the brand in 2012, Anifa has designed collections featuring an array of styles, colors, and textures that cater to a woman’s body.
Her desire is to glorify God with her fashions and her creativity. Thorough and chic, Anifa Mvuemba is a Congolese, DMV raised visionary who is as thoughtful as her designs.
I got a chance to chat with Anifa as we discussed money management, the power of taking the road less traveled and scaling and expansion.
On making yourself marketable: Social media is such a powerful tool. If you’re a business today and you’re selling a product and you don’t have an Instagram – it’s almost like suicide to your business. In terms of marketing – it’s really important to understand your business, your product and understand how you want the world to perceive it. The biggest thing for me is my photos. Before a customer even gets to feel the fabric or try on the garment online they see the images first. Every time I put an image out into the world, I want someone to feel like “I have to have this.” I spend a lot of time on my imagery.
Using your resources: The year that I started Hanifa I received a really nice tax return. I was 21 at the time and I knew that I could either go out and blow it or use it towards my business. I didn’t have the most solid financial background so I used that money as my first investment. A lot of people feel like to start a business you need to have $100,000 – you can literally just start with what you have. Also, there’s so much information out there – I like to refer to myself as The Google Queen – you can find anything on the internet.
On effective money management: Without some type of understanding of your financials – you’ll be in a constant cycle of making money and then losing money. I went through that. I had to get real with myself and start to understand what was happening with my money. I got an accountant and financial advisor and began to take small steps towards learning my financials. Once you dive deeper and start to learn more about how money works it’s really not a scary thing. You can sit in meetings with investors and breakdown your finances with ease.
On taking the road less traveled: The most important thing is to always have a vision. Also, always remember why you started and remain as authentic and genuine as possible. If that stays consistent then that’s what’s going to bring the clients, funding, or whatever you’re seeking in your business.
What does the next 5 years look like for Hanifa? We opened our first brick and mortar in January of this year. We’re working on transitioning out of Baltimore and into D.C. Also, working on a manufacturing company where I help emerging designers (like myself) find the resources they need to thrive in this industry.
For more information, please visit: hanifa.co
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