Online & Offline – Tutus Kurniati

WORDS: SARAH JOSEPH

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine? I start my day with green juice and a cup of coffee, I usually tend to stick to a liquid breakfast. You have to listen to your body, it tells you what it needs and this start to my day, works best for me. I then workout on the treadmill and start with some subtle daily makeup. What inspired you to launch Tutus Kurniati and how did you know it was the right time? I fell in love with Dubai as it’s a coastal city and after making it my home, I wanted to create something for the women living here. My goal was to create a destination where you can shop for beach and dinner alike. I couldn’t think of a worse time to launch a business, than during COVID-19. In January 2020, I hosted my grand opening at Nammos and by March 2020, the UAE went into a complete lockdown. However, this taught me to think outside the box and do things differently. What defines the DNA of the brand? Since we are a concept store, we are recognised for our resort wear and evening wear collections. If there’s one word to describe it, I would say glamourous. How did your previous roles pave the way for this? After previously owning two boutiques in Indonesia, in both Bali and Jakarta, I learned how owning a business works both from a creative and commercial angle. How did travelling influence your brand and the buy you have in-store and how involved with the buying process are you? Travelling is an eye and soul opener, and until today I’m the one who’s still doing all the buying, I have a huge passion for product. What do you look for in a new brand and which new brand has been your most successful to date? When I bring new brands on board, I look for originality, uniqueness and quality. Some of the most successful to date include Biljana, Sachreya and Kel. I’ve also been supporting a lot more Ukranian brands in any manner I can. How do you balance the creative and commercial sides of the business? We have a team with a diverse set of nationalities and different backgrounds. This helps us to understand our customers well and focus on their varying needs. How do you approach online and offline differently and where do you see the largest proportion of sales being driven from? We approach the online purchasing mechanism by gaining our clients’ trust throughout the world. When it comes to offline shopping, we provide our customers with VIP experiences such as COD within two hours in Dubai, a concierge service and a stylist who comes directly to their door. Our largest sales are driven from the physical store. Do you see any particular buying patterns in the region and which brands drive sales

season after season? Most of our customers love pieces that are elegant, sophisticated and glamourous. A brand that’s consistently driving sales season after season is Alexander Vauthier. You’re direct to consumer. How do you keep up with demand through both an online and offline shopping experience? We give our best to both and treat them individually, and always as special as they are. What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs? Grit is all you need, it’s not going to be easy but it’s important to know that everything that is worth it, doesn’t come easily. This is The Entrepreneur Issue – what does this mean to you? I’m honored and proud to be featured here and to be recognised as an entrepreneur. We are all still learning daily.