1. How long have you been in The Netherlands? Since December 1994, when I was nine years old. “You can make it anywhere, if you want to” Somali Omar Munie was keen to differentiate himself from other students at fashion design school. So he chose to design handbags instead of garments. An inspired choice, as it turned out! He describes himself as a ‘cautious’ entrepreneur, but lost no time in opening a flagship store on the Coolsingel in Rotterdam, in 2010. The shop has recently moved to Noordeinde, in The Hague. Omar is a real craftsman, implementing his plans step by step rather than taking a bank loan. He makes do on a very modest income - to him luxury lies in the challenges of entrepreneurship and in inspiration for new designs. He also gives lectures and workshops and has authored Live your dream, a book that he hopes will motivate secondary school pupils. His handbags are gaining ground as the perfect combination of form and function. So it’s no surprise that many celebrities have discovered his shop. 12 2. How did you become an entrepreneur and why? Everyone was into garment design at the fashion school, but I wanted to do something different. I decided to make handbags and found an immediate market among my classmates. My first handbag was priced at 35 euros. During my training I set up Omar Munie Clothing. A few years ago I went to New York with my former girlfriend and decided to take a few handbags with me. While my girlfriend was being made up in a department store, one of the make-up artists commented on my handbag. When I responded that I had made it myself, she immediately called her colleagues: in no time I had sold all the bags I had - which paid for my airline ticket! Although I am a cautious entrepreneur and have never taken a bank loan, I immediately opened a flagship store on the Coolsingel, in Rotterdam. Thanks to the help of fellow designers and high school students the shop was furnished for a low budget, but has an upmarket image due to the quality of the handbags and the high level of customer service and attention it offers. Somalia
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