Upcoming homegrown fashion accessories and home goods label FÈATH started its journey in the world of fashion to help bridge the gap between luxury and affordability.
Brainchild of Tasneem Mannan, FÈATH offers a wide range of precisely curated products based on latest global fashion trends, sourced from top fashion destinations in Asia including Thailand, Malaysia and China.
“Starting from providing superior products to delivering them in a premium packaging, FÈATH actively takes care of it all. We aspire to give women a platform where breaking the bank is absolutely not necessary anymore when it comes to pampering themselves with something fashionable, modern or chic,” Tasneem Mannan, Founder & CEO of FÈATH, told Apparel Resources (AR) in an exclusive interview.
Aiming to provide budget-friendly luxury, FÈATH offers a selection of jewellery, bags and shoes priced between BDT 300 and BDT 3,000, as well as home products that are priced onwards of BDT 1,500.
HOW IT STARTED
Growing up in Bangladesh, Tasneem found there to be a scarcity of brands offering fashion and accessories in sync with international trends. She was against the concept of established luxurious labels charging exorbitant amounts to fit in the criteria of quality, indulgence and pleasure.
That’s when she knew she had to take matters into her own hands and address this need in the womenswear segment.
For as long as she can remember, she had an everlasting admiration for all things artistic from a very early age; be it fashion and style, photography, cooking or home decor. But one thing that stood out was her infatuation towards wearing trendy clothes and collecting statement pieces in order to style them in a way that would attract eyeballs.
Being a Marketing major, Tasneem decided to utilise her insight into something that she was passionate about.
“I was nurturing the ambition of building my own brand for as long as I can remember,” Tasneem said, adding, “I’d be lying if I say that the idea of being a young-woman entrepreneur even before completing my under-graduation amidst pandemic didn’t seem difficult to me, but ultimately, I chose faith over fear and asked myself, if not now, then when?”
Even though Bangladesh is the third largest exporter of RMG (ready-made garments) in the world, it wasn’t till a few years back that the country had the frequent availability of fashion products, interaction with social media, consumer’s willingness to pay the full price for goods rather than waiting for sales or clearance terms, impulse buying tendencies and hedonistic benefits.
Today, the entire consumption pattern in fashion and apparel categories has changed.
“Powered by the internet, technological innovation and globalisation, I believe the fashion cycle is moving faster than ever before in Bangladesh and the consumers are now much more updated with everything that is happening in the world,” Tasneem said.
BRAND USP AND SIGNATURE DETAILS/TECHNIQUES
The target market of the brand includes women aged between 16 and 50 years, who need a place to shop from whenever it comes to pampering themselves with something fashionable, modern and chic without breaking the bank.
The brand boasts of an apt tagline The luxury you can afford, all the while upholding the highest standard of quality in order to retain customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Commenting on the same, Tasneem said, “We don’t compromise on quality in the name of providing economical products and it is like an add-in for the customers, getting their hands on both affordable and superior items.”
FÈATH poses as a unified solution where you can find almost everything that you need under one roof.
Right from providing superior and luxurious products, to selling them in an affordable price range, packed in premium packaging, FÈATH actively takes care of all aspects of consumer demand.
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, FÈATH is currently and solely curated by Tasneem who prioritises two powerful tactics while developing her collections:
- Prioritising not only appearance and quality but also functionality: Luxurious products are mostly treated as an occasional friend, but Tasneem feels it is important that people learn to be resourceful and choose products that come in handy in day-to-day life. So, for FÈATH, she exactly prioritises such items.
- Delighting the customers: Meeting the customers’ basic expectations is one thing while truly delighting them is another. Tasneem tries to choose products that make her customers feel and look beautiful, as well as create an impact in their lives and make them stand out easily in the fashion crowd.
That being said, the pandemic came with its own set of hurdles that impacted big and small brands alike and FÈATH was no different.
“Initiating a business amidst a pandemic was much more challenging than operating it and staying afloat during this period. However, despite many setbacks, we’ve found out ways to make the most of the current circumstances and continue growing,” Tasneem highlighted.
The brand has been extremely strategic about its digital marketing efforts. Achieving awareness as a new brand was extremely tricky but it measured results to understand what’s working for it and what isn’t, in order to take informed and on-time decisions.
Highlighting the same, Tasneem said, “We also considered our customers’ perspectives while interacting with them on social media channels and researched their consumption patterns to strengthen our selling strategies more.”
BUILDING A BRAND
Running an online business in the 21st century might seem like a piece of cake but it is crucially very important that one engages with their target audience effectively in order to succeed.
FÈATH considers effective engagement as the key to maximising its marketing ROI as it turns strangers into leads, leads into customers and customers into ambassadors for the brand.
Tasneem shares a few techniques she has been following in order to drive engagement with prospective clients: “Creating useful and relevant content is vital. I think it’s one of the best ways to occupy the minds of customers. We’ve been making content that is of interest to our intended audience, and posting it on social media which has worked wonders for us.”
The second technique Tasneem places importance on is leveraging influencers.
The brand has found influencer marketing to be a very effective marketing tactic that has helped it attain numerous marketing goals. FÈATH has partnered with some relevant influencers from its niche, which has enabled qualified lead generation for the brand and also assisted in finding potential customers who are interested in the brand.
“Using targeted advertising is another key aspect to consider. As social media channels now provide advanced targeting options, it really helped us target the ads based on demographics, location and interests of our audience,” Tasneem explained, adding, “Furthermore, with people spending more time on social media platforms, you can’t ignore the importance of them to reach your target audience. However, to target people who might be interested in our brand, we’ve been using relevant and industry-specific hashtags that are helping us broaden the reach of our social media content.”
Last but not the least, showing up for the audience consistently is what guarantees the success of a brand in the long run.
“While I was doing my Bachelors in Marketing, I learnt how people purchase from brands they trust, and people trust brands that show up consistently. FÈATH has been trying to create quality content consistently at a pace our customers can predict and it helped us reinforce the idea that we’re available to provide solutions, support and service consistently as well,” Tasneem corroborated and further stated “If you ask me what consumers look for in a brand today then I’d say quality, innovation and unbeatable customer service.”
TOP TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Now that the world is close to winning the pandemic fight, Tasneem forecasts bright, vibrant, timeless and statement fashion pieces that would encourage women to dress up, go out and feel the joy, as they return to the new normal.
“But regardless of time and season, I feel it is important that we follow the trends and styles which feel close to us and help us define who we truly are,” she highlighted.
The brand is currently working on expanding its product offering and foraying into clothing along with home decor products in the near future.
Currently, the FÈATH products are available for purchase on the brand’s official Facebook page which goes by the name feath.official, and on Instagram as @feath.official.
“Powered by the internet, technological innovation and globalisation, I believe the fashion cycle is moving faster than ever before in Bangladesh and the consumers are now much more updated with everything that is happening in the world.”
– Tasneem Mannan
Founder & CEO of FÈATH
