Sanam Sartorial: Unique Selling Points of Informal Refugee Entrepreneurship

Abstract

This case study focuses on Nadia Sanam, a traditional Afghani women’s tailor and founder of a home-tailoring business, Sanam Sartorial. She faces significant difficulties as a refugee entrepreneur in Kuala Lumpur, which prohibits her from legally registering the business and accessing formal financial support, by extension limiting her ability to exploit the burgeoning Malaysian apparel market. Sanam Sartorial’s key challenges, tied to her refugee status, are as follows: (1) its need to create demand in its host market; (2) a lack of brand identity; (3) language barriers; (4) a lack of market knowledge and access; and (5) financial constraints. Broadly speaking, this case study argues that she has two potential avenues to growth: (1) creating a demand for Afghani fashion among Malaysian communities; and (2) overcoming other operational challenges, namely language barriers as well as a lack of production capacity or an online storefront, to meet potential supply.