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Hanafi Salman, or Uda Hanafi, is key to Torch's success, a Bandung-based travel and outdoor apparel brand. Today, we meet Uda Hanafi to delve deeper into their innovative approaches to design for outdoor and travel apparel. As Chief Designer, Uda Hanafi ensures Torch’s apparel design and development align with consumer needs.
Established in 2015, Torch began as a small business selling specialty T-shirts from Bandung. Hanafi and Ben, Torch’s co-founders, faced the challenge of building a widely recognized brand. After thorough research, Hanafi’s team focused on the bag business, spotting a significant opportunity. This business is now known as Torch, which now has two stores in Bandung, on Jalan Lembong No. 30 and Jalan Laswi No. 1M.
Entering the activewear and outdoor market took work for Torch. In the first two years, Hanafi and Ben struggled to build brand awareness and compete with established brands. To overcome this, Hanafi admitted to leveraging online platforms to boost sales and expand Torch's reach.
By the third year, Torch began to gain more attention from the public. Interestingly, the Sandal Arrafa, specifically designed for Hajj pilgrims, became Torch’s most popular product.
In R&D, Hanafi uses a blue ocean strategy, creating unique apparel designs and functions. Each Torch product begins with market research and customer surveys to identify needs and opportunities. Additionally, Torch actively seeks and values feedback from customers, improving product quality.
Hanafi also emphasizes team synergy, with members of various ages collaborating on ideas and products.
Aside from outdoor and activewear apparel, Torch also creates functional travel backpacks for long, heavy journeys, targeting the travel market. This product came from Hanafi’s insight that travelers often use heavy, stiff, uncomfortable materials.
Torch's commitment to consistently delivering high-quality products is a key to its success. This is evident in their achievement of establishing themselves as a reliable local activewear brand. This success has opened doors for Torch, including store openings in major malls and securing investments.
In their production process, Torch partners with Cloami, a garment vendor offering low minimum order quantities (MoQ) for production. High MoQs are a challenge in fashion, risking losses if design changes occur after large-scale production. For Hanafi, Cloami's low MoQ policy is significantly helpful during the testing and prototyping stages of Torch. Additionally, Cloami provides material and apparel design consultations to ensure high-quality standards that align with Torch's requirements. Cloami’s streamlined process helps Torch and Hanafi continue inspiring Indonesia’s travel and outdoor apparel industry.
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