“I love working with sewing machines and it is the best way to de-stress myself,” says Wekou Mero, owner of the clothing brand Weme.
Being a working woman and mother of four children, Wekou relays her regret of not being able to pursue her dream to open a boutique as life got in the way. Like what happens to many devoted mothers and wives, in the middle of juggling the responsibilities of their marriage, children, and job, the dream had to take a back seat.
However, even though she felt like it was late considering where she is now in life Wekou started her small business in 2019. And though it has not seen any miraculous growth, currently she has two other staff working with her. “I couldn’t let my dream slip away. I had to go for it,” she said.
Weme is a home-based business that makes clothes for women, located in Wekou’s own home in Kohima. The brand name is a creative fusion of the first two letters of her first and last name. It focuses on the quality of the product and while making designs, Wekou says, “I draw inspiration from the local market, the people and the clothes they wear, anything that catches my eyes. Nagas are very fashion forward and are very aware of what they wear.”
Initially, Wekou’s desire was to make clothes for women her age, because she felt that there was a lack of variety available for them in the market in Nagaland. After starting her business, however, Weme adopted a customer-centric approach. She explained that it is the customers who choose what kind of product one should deliver in the market. With this understanding, she now caters to customers of all age groups, whoever comes to her with a request to make clothes.
When talking about dreams and aspirations, Wekou says she wants Weme to be showcased in every clothing store in Nagaland and for every Naga woman to wear it so that it becomes a household name. She also contemplated that she is not near her goal yet and can only hope she will get there someday.
As a dressmaker, she has a principle to never compromise with quality. Explaining further, Wekou says that she finds great joy when looking at the finished products also gives her satisfaction.
Every dreamer knows that fulfilling a dream is difficult. Wekou herself explains how manpower and finding the right people to work with is still a challenge. “I wish entrepreneurs get some crash course on marketing advertising and finance for business before they kick start their business,” she says.
She explained that entrepreneurship in Nagaland falls behind because of a lack of commitment and drive in people. Entrepreneurship in Nagaland is still in its nascent stage, she remarked.
She expresses her opinion that the focus of markets should be to cater to the demand of customers and not their own desires.
