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24 September 2012| last updated at 12:45AM

Fashion with passion

By CHUAH BEE KIM | johor@nst.com.my

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DESIGNING LINE: he Benang fashionwear outlet also caters to big beautiful women

NOTHING pleases Siti Balkis Abdul Moez, 43, more than seeing people walk out of her Benang fashionwear outlets with a smile.
  “It does not matter whether they buy anything or not.  I like serving people and I believe in service with a smile,” said Siti Balkis, a  former assistant accountant in the civil service.
  After opting for retirement at the age of 41, Siti Balkis opened her first Benang outlet at Plaza Kotaraya (now known as Galeria@Kotaraya)  in 2002, followed by two other outlets in Plaza Pelangi and Tesco Tebrau,  in Johor Baru.
  All three outlets sell her Benang fashion line which includes blouses, baju kurung, jubah and tudung.  The outlets also carries jeans from Korea for large-sized people.  The biggest is 7L, which fits  those with a  127cm  waistline.
The mother of three said  her husband, who is in the food business, had always been supportive of her boutique chain.
  Most of her baju kurung and blouses are made of cotton fabric, which is Siti Balkis’ favourite material as they absorb perspiration.
  “I never studied fashion designing but I like to look through fashion magazines.  I don’t copy the designs. I try to improvise with motifs and colour and come up with something of my own.
  “After I have come up with the design, I send them to my tailor.  I only have one or two outfits of the same pattern because I don’t want to see people bumping into each other wearing the same attire.
She said  she tried to come up with new designs for blouses every two weeks.
 Siti Balkis’ Benang outlet in Galeria@Kotaraya was one of those affected by  renovation work at the mall. The entrepreneur said the store would reopen by the end of the year.
 

Those with big waistlines can check out these extra large-sized jeans at the Benang outlets in Plaza Pelangi, Tesco Tebrau and Danga City Mall, in Johor Baru.

The Benang outlet in Plaza Pelangi, Johor Baru. Pix by Chuah Bee Kim

Siti Balkis Abdul Moez showing the ‘jubah’ available at her outlet in Plaza Pelangi.

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