APU INA STORIES: MORE THAN JUST A BUSINESS

Writer: Dara Ayu | Illustrator: Ariyani Nuraini | Editor: Athaya Hardono | Photographer: Sita Rizky

Being stuck in Indonesia for more than a year can get quite boring for some, especially when our days are just filled with hours upon hours of staring at our monitor screen. For Oubrey Aulia, that one year has painted a significantly different path. With over 36,000 followers on her personal Instagram and about 9,000 followers on her clothing brand’s Instagram account, keep on reading about our small chat with Oubrey on how she has started her clothing business while developing as a content creator!

What is SAIKAKO and how did it come to be?

Oubrey: “SAIKAKO can’t exactly be called a clothing brand, because I am actually reworking garments. So, I would consider it more as a mix of brand and online store. And it all started from my love of fashion. My grandmother and mom like to sew and design clothes for their own children, we even used to have a seamstress living with my family for a while who helped me with creating the clothes I sold on SAIKAKO. And because my mom often took me on trips to Tanah Abang to hunt for clothing materials, the interest in fashion just kept on growing.

As for the business part, I used to have a thrifting clothing business because it was such a huge trend back then. But because of that, it lacked this sort of uniqueness. And that’s when I came across a reworking clothing line Instagram account and got inspired from it.

When people buy second hand clothes, they’re bound to find defects. And I started to think about how to transform these defects into its own work of art. So, if we look at some clothes from SAIKAKO, we can actually see the stitching, but this is not saying that the clothes have a sloppy sewing job. It actually gives the clothes that unfinished edge that is quite trendy amongst millennials nowadays. Which is why SAIKAKO’s slogan is what it is today: ‘Embracing the Uniqueness of Every Individual: one person, one garment’.

I would say my business has evolved, working from thrifted clothing and now reworking garments. Instead of just selling second hand clothes as it is, I can actually maximize their selling points by increasing their own uniqueness. And so, SAIKAKO is more than just a business for me, it is the epitome of all my interests.”

With a following of 36 thousand on your personal Instagram, are you aiming to continue making content? Do you think it’s important for youths, like yourself, to make an impact through their content?

Oubrey: “I have always wanted to work in the creative industry, because I can’t see myself working a 9 to 5 job from a desk in a corner of an office. And when we talk about content creation, everyone and anyone can do it, especially in social media. It is such a powerful tool for various things due to its accessibility of information, may it be negative or positive. This is where youths come in. I think it’s important for youths to start making content, and it’s not just about posting pictures on Instagram, but when people fully utilize the flexibility within social media, they can actually start their own businesses and even create an NGO.”

What’s next for Oubrey Aulia and SAIKAKO?

Oubrey: “I would love to collaborate with Nike, but I think it’s still going to take me a few years and even more hard work. I mean that’s what dreams are for,right? As for now, I really want to make a system for SAIKAKO, because technically now I am still self-employed and I think with a system I can keep the business going even if I have to go back to Beppu. Ultimately though, I just want to be happy in anything that I do.”

What started out as a mere hobby and interest in fashion, has introduced Oubrey to a world of content creating and business. We can’t wait to see what the future has to offer for her, nevertheless we can only imagine that it will not only be filled with success, but also passion.