For our September 2021 cover story we are talking to Fashion Designer Salmina Rahman, the founder and owner of Salmina Rahman Couture, a fusion boutique based in Dhaka Bangladesh that focused on bringing forth a mix of multicultural and extravagant traditional outfits and accessories.
Salmina Rahman Couture has made a name for itself as a trendsetting fashion house for designing the most tasteful and ornate feminine silhouettes that cater to the upmarket customer base in the city.
Through this conversation we are tapping into Salmina's personal journey of coming into the light, the inspiration and thought process behind the brand and her perspectives on the booming fashion scene in Dhaka.
We asked her to share with us the journey of forming the brand to which she said, "My journey with Salmina Rahman Couture has been fabulous for 3 years now Alhamdulillah. Firstly, it started with a few sketches on my note pad of random designs, as I was always inspired by artistic jewellery, cultural events around the world and abstract art.
Later I started making detailed drawings of designs. And thought of putting it on my dress. Surprisingly my family liked what I wore, and wanted it for themselves. So I started designing for my family and friends. From then onwards it became more like my passion to design clothes that not just looks good but also serves it’s purpose, and yet make everyone wear their individuality with style and comfort. Well we are still growing everyday through bumps, and hope we make it to our own flagship outlet someday."
We asked her to take us through the people that are involved in making the brand come to life to which she replied, "The brand is mainly owned by my husband and I, He helped me out, throughout the journey from start till forever. We can be described as, I am the brain and he is the muscle in the business. I mostly do the designs and plan the fabric and the colour combinations. From here he takes over manages the employees, packaging and the marketing guys to deliver the best output possible."
The brand focuses on making couture, pret, casual and semi-bridal pieces with a touch of elegance and glamour as well as accessories. We asked her to describe to us the thought process that goes behind creating the most extravagant outfits to which she said, "At Salmina Rahman Couture we focus on handcrafted design, each solely sketched for one outfit. As all our dresses are handcrafted, each and every dress is like a piece of art, making them solely unique in every way possible. We are mainly ‘a made to order’ boutique. We believe all humans are unique.”
We asked her to take us through the process of the kind of work that goes behind running the business, to which she described, "As I have mentioned earlier, Salmina Rahman Couture is run by my husband and I. We like to be on the floor with our employees throughout the time. It makes a wonderful and friendly environment to work and excel together. Each and every delivery is hand checked by us before dispatching.
The startup was tough for us as it was like, it was us against the world. We did everything together, there were times we even made the deliveries together. As I can recall it was one chandraat, when my husband and I spent the whole night delivering to our clients. As it was Eid the next day. Well it was hectic, but fun as it is pretty rare to be delivered by the owners themselves. Our biggest achievement are the smiles of our clients after they look fabulous in our dresses."
Customers are the heart and soul of each brand. Without them a brand is incomplete. Thus, we asked her to describe her customer base to us to which she replied, "Salmina Rahman Couture has always targeted towards the teens, young adults and middle aged people, yet we are humbled to deliver to anyone who likes our taste of clothing, as we never say no to anyone.
We ended the conversation while talking about the current status quo of the fashion industry in Bangladesh and the future of the brand. She said "I would like to conclude by saying that our fashion industry has grown remarkably. This industry has been evolving fast and for good in Bangladesh. And when we reach a spot, to be under the limelights.
I would love to see my brand, along with the other top brands of the Country. Now finally, I would like to finish it off with a huge token of appreciation to The Bedroom Journal for creating this platform for me as a designer and giving me the great opportunity to tell you our story. Salmina Rahman Couture will try to avail a flagship outlet soon in the near future."
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