Brunei - With great products comes great service

LADIES' undergarment specialist Lilli Lingerie has long cemented its status as a local brand name since its establishment 12 years ago.

The key to success in a small market, says owner Lily Yong, is to continuously provide the best personal service that matches the quality of products on offer.

Yong, who is trained in undergarment fitting in London, first saw the need to bring in quality undergarments for women, particularly those with large busts, out of a firm belief in the need to be properly fitted with undergarments that encourage a healthier lifestyle.

"A lot of people think that a bra is just an undergarment on the body and nobody can see it, but in fact they are wrong, because when you put on your clothes, a well fitted bra makes you feel nicer as well," says Yong.

Following success in Brunei in 2008, Yong decided to venture overseas to the neighbouring Malaysian state of Kota Kinabalu, where Lilli Lingerie was received with rave reviews.

"We did incredibly well in Kota Kinabalu, because the Sabah market is very partial to foreign brands, so when I go there and I say that I am from Brunei, people looked at the brand with a different perception," says Yong.

Lilli Lingerie started off carrying French brands such as Passionata, and now carries American brands as well. The recently opened Intimate Secrets, located at the Airport Mall, is the latest addition to the Lilli Lingerie family.

"Lilli Lingerie is the premium upmarket brand for professional working women, women who are chic and have extra income to flaunt about for something more premium," says Yong.

"Intimate Secrets carries products that we have tried our best to price below $100 and we wanted to have this store to cater to the teenagers as well as women with larger women who have difficulty finding their sizes in Brunei."

Since the mall is still in its infancy stage, Intimate Secrets has a low rate of walk-in customers, but Yong hopes that it will pick up soon.

Asked why she chose The Airport Mall for her latest expansion, the entrepreneur said that it was always something she wanted to do.

"Lilli Lingerie has always wanted to have a mall presence and our first choice was The Mall in Gadong, but having frontage was important for me, (and) there were no units available in The Mall," says Yong.

She proceeded to check with the other malls but found that rental rates were too expensive. "I like the location we got in the Airport Mall because I wanted frontage, people who are walking around will be able to see us and the rental is reasonable so here we are," she says.

One of the major challenges that Yong has to overcome in the Brunei market is to try to be more "creative" in her advertising and marketing.

"Being in a conservative country like Brunei, it is difficult to advertise for women's underwear so I depend mostly on word of mouth to help with my promotion," she says.

Yong is known for her professional and quality service, where she ensures that she serves with a smile. Being in a conservative country, Yong says that women in Brunei are still shy about being measured by a professional, and she hopes to change this.

"I am not in the fitting room just for the sake of seeing other women, because I have them too; what is important to me is to see the end result to make sure that the bra they have chosen fits them perfectly," says Yong.

Another challenge that Yong faces in Brunei is the mentality of the market on pricing. "Pricing is one of the main issues and people think that we are so expensive so they would rather go to department stores and the brands there," she says. Sticking to her standard, Yong said that although her premium pieces are more expensive than the department stores, the quality that comes with it is obvious to her returning customers.

"In Intimate Secrets, we are selling sports underwear for women at about $50 which is equivalent, or cheaper, than the department store brands that carry them," she says. She adds that a good quality nursing bra, which Lilli Lingerie and Intimate Secrets carry will cost about $99 but can be used for over two years, due to the material that is used.

"Large chested women have to be fitted with the right bra to help with neck, back and chest pains and there are a lot of women in Brunei who go to the department stores and spend money on an undergarment that doesn't fit and it eats into their back and shoulders not providing the proper support," she says.

Yong says that to overcome this challenge, education is the only way, which is why as an additional part of her service, Yong also conducts "free talks", where she will speak and educate women on the importance of having the right undergarment.

"Especially for teenagers, if schools want to engage me this is my free service and having been trained in London, I can help girls and women who didn't have anyone to talk to about this before," she says.

"There are women that don't know how to pick out the right undergarment, and nobody talks about it and nobody teaches you how to wear it so I hope that I can help in this area, just consider me as a 'bra doctor'," she says.

DEBBIE TOO

The Brunei Times

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