he vision of starting a fashion and accessories business has strong appeal among most entrepreneur-wannabes. However, reality might not be as sweet, especially in the Internet era, where the materials needed have to be researched off-line. Such a process may take days, even months to find the right suppliers.
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Enter Factoire, an online meeting place for entrepreneurs and material suppliers, with hopes to replace traditional door-to-door research methods that could be counterproductive for a budding company. Based on the real-life experiences of cofounders, Ade and Alvin, who previously had encountered problems in trying to find product vendors in their past entrepreneurial attempts.
Factoire targets both manufacturers and material suppliers in categories such as clothing, footwear, bags, accessories, furniture, stationery, appliances and decor, also branding and packaging. The platform offers a free service for its users, although more features and benefits are being planned for premium subscribers. Expansion is also in the works to cater to more business types.
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The new platform is already making a buzz among local fashion labels and suppliers. Presently, the start-up founded by Ade Harnusa Azril, Alif Andre Nugorho and Alvin Desfiandi, is still in its seed round of funding and prioritizing a secure foundation in the local market before any international expansion. (asw)
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