BOGOR, WEST JAVA — Linda Anggrea, CEO of Buttonscarves – an Indonesian premium fashion brand – shared inspiration and motivational stories with hundreds of STIM Budi Bakti Bogor students on Thursday (16/5/2024). Taking place in the Multipurpose Hall of the Zona Madina Dompet Dhuafa Mosque, Bogor, the entrepreneurship seminar was entitled ‘Womenpreneur: Empower and Create’.
Starting the story, Linda ‘bluntly’ conveyed her life background. She was born in a remote village in Riau, far from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Her parents also never went to high school. But for Linda, this is what motivates her to inspire and rise up.
‘I am a village girl who was born 33 years ago in a remote area in Riau. In 1991, there was only electricity in our village at night, and we only watched TV on Sundays. With all the conditions, I wanted to change my fate. I wanted to experience the various experiences and opportunities that existed. So I made a request to my parents to go to school in the provincial capital, then in high school I migrated to Jakarta,’ Linda admitted.
‘Continuing my studies in Financial Management at the University of Indonesia, I didn’t want to waste the opportunity. During class, I always wanted to sit in the front seat to easily absorb as much knowledge as possible from the lecturer. Graduated cum laude, worked at Bank Indonesia, as well as CT Corp. There is no instant success. I learnt, prayed, tried, and was consistent. But my principle is that we must be aware of our surroundings, to see every opportunity. Because opportunities can come from anywhere. Even small things can become business opportunities,’ he said again.
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Yes, Linda has been trying to do this since elementary school. It was Ramadan and Linda saw an opportunity with the need for children to play with fireworks. Linda bought fireworks and resold them. As a result, Linda was able to buy Eid clothes through her own efforts. This is also how Buttonscarves was born. As a Muslim woman, she saw the need for Muslim women to wear clothes that are used daily and even become fashion.
‘Creating a fashion brand started from a simple thing. I wanted to have a business that has a lot of impact for women. Because women have the same opportunity to contribute and work together. It turns out that Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world at that time. And for Muslim women, hijab is one of the key items of daily outfit products. I saw that there was a gap in the market. There was a need, but it was limited. This was an opportunity. Supply + Demand = Transaction. My message is, absorb as much knowledge from the lecturers as possible, for work or entrepreneurship. To excel, you need a strong spirit to stand in front,’ Linda explained.
For the first six months, all Buttonscarves activities were run by Linda herself. Linda sacrificed her time and energy to make the products and handle the sales, juggling her role as a mother in 2016. From the capital she saved while working, Buttonscarves was born from a small space and now its echo is global. Buttonscarves was also present in various fashion exhibitions in Jakarta, Dubai, New York and Paris Fashion Week. Buttonscarves stores are now available all over Indonesia, as well as in Malaysia.
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In the course of her eight years in business, she also innovated by building a community called The BS Lady. Linda endeavours to instil the value of kindness whose connection is reflected. From there, they create new movements, and kindness spreads. For Linda, innovation is the key to unlocking future opportunities. Being different is the path she chooses in Buttonscarves.
‘80 per cent of the Buttonscarves team are women. We also built The BS Lady community. We offer that BS is not just a product, but an innovation. An elevate, different. And being different is a choice. This is also a challenge for me, as a woman leading a business, never be afraid to start. Because the courage to start is the beginning for us to achieve milestones and achievements in the future,’ said Linda.
‘Sometimes we overestimate ourselves as incapable, even though we have more abilities than we have if we maximise them. Because we all have the same opportunity. If we move alone, the impact will be small, but if we move together, it will be big. In the future, Indonesia will be considered, have a large economy, this is a great opportunity for us. So, keep the spirit! Try your best to achieve your dreams,’ Linda said, closing the inspiration session.
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For information, previously Buttonscarves together with Modinity Group also channeled donations through Dompet Dhuafa as a form of concern for the current situation in Gaza, Palestine. All proceeds from the ticket sales of ‘Kajian Akbar: Prayer for Palestine’ was donated through Dompet Dhuafa. Not only that, the fashion brands that are members of Modinity Group also donated their support for Palestine through Dompet Dhuafa.
To provide a space for appreciation of the expression of concern for humanity shown by the Indonesian people, especially Buttorscarves, which is so diverse, Dompet Dhuafa together with STIM Budi Bakti gave an award to humanitarian activists, one of which was Linda Anggrea. Buttonscarves is a good collaborator who has dedicated many humanitarian programmes through Dompet Dhuafa.
The award was handed over directly by Herdiansyah as Vice Chairman of the Dompet Dhuafa Board to Linda Anggrea on that occasion. Herdiansyah also expressed his gratitude because Dompet Dhuafa is good friends with a Linda, Buttonscarves, who today often gives charity to give care and love to many people.
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‘Today we will learn a lot from Mbak Linda. Good and great things so that we can absorb experiences like Mbak Linda. We believe that small movements carried out continuously will be successful, even though the challenges are tough. A little reminiscent of the story, as in 2009 this area (Zona Madina) began to be built from an area of 8.5 hectares. Build a hospital, followed by a garden empowerment area, mosque, campus and so on. This is the common goal of the Madaya Cluster, an enlightened, independent and empowered class,’ said Herdiansyah.
In line with this, Etika Setiawanti as Secretary of Dompet Dhuafa said that Dompet Dhuafa also always involves women. Buttonscarves becomes a collaborator of goodness, this encourages women to have a big impact together.
‘Every human being has the same opportunity, especially women. For Dompet Dhuafa, it is certainly very positive and has broad benefits for Indonesia. This Womenpreneur Award appreciation is due to her dedication to women, business, and her contribution to humanity, especially Palestine via Dompet Dhuafa,’ concluded Etika. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Dhika Prabowo, Riza Muthohar
Editors: Dedi Fadlil, Ronna