CARRYING THE BRAND

How Oribags evolved from a living-room operation to a thriving everyday carry store

- STUART DANKER

MANY MALAYSIAN BUSINESSES THRIVE because they’re filling a gap that others haven’t, and that’s what Oribags is doing for bag lovers. What started as a journey into entrepreneurship has brought Jeff Tan to running a leading carry store in the country, and his passion for the industry is what’s fuelling him to reach new heights.

Admittedly, it’s not an easy niche to be a part of, especially since the brands themselves are often specialised. This means that it’s hard to source for inventory or even build a relationship with said brands from halfway across the world. Still, that’s never stopped Tan from growing Oribags into what it is today.

Tell us about how you started this business. 

I’m actually an engineer by profession but my entrepreneurial spirit started as early as when I was in university. I was fascinated by how e-commerce worked, where you can quite literally ‘make money in your sleep’ since your customers can buy from you 24/7. I started off selling random products online at that time and was constantly trying to find the right ones to sell. I’d eventually stumble upon bags. It was almost love at first sight, and I haven’t looked back since.

What was your business evolution like from the beginning to where you are today? 

We’ve definitely come a long way from when we first started. We had only secured five brands at the beginning and many international brands were hesitant to work with us because we were so small and had hardly anything to show.