Entrepreneurship is catching up quickly in Nagaland – especially with the young and the enterprising lot. It is almost certain that small and new age businesses are soon going to emerge as the top economic drivers contributing to more job opportunities, new skills and hopefully a better working environment. The young Nagas today are clearly an enlightened bunch with a huge dose of optimism regardless of the fact that that the challenges are many like – low access to resources, capital, mentorship and the list goes on.

Hence, even more reason why we should laud the efforts of those who are constantly exploring and innovating within these limitations to create businesses, which are not just novel in idea but also demonstrating the potential to compete at much bigger platforms. It is exciting to see countless trailblazers starting up on their own and in the process, encouraging more and more people to join the force.

Say hi to Asalie Peseyie – first among many to follow under our new series “ENTREPRENEUR“. A resident of  Dimapur and founder and owner of  ‘Dapper’ –  a clothing and salon store exclusively for men.

Here is an excerpt from a chit chat session we had with him last Sunday:

• How did Dapper come about? 

Dapper was launched in May 2015 but the concept was born a long time ago. A lot of people would agree there aren’t a lot of players in the market gathering to men – both in terms of products and services.

“But I’ve always maintained that there is a huge market potential given the fact that our lifestyles have evolved to a point where looking good is equally important for men as well. So when I decided to start another new venture (note: he is a serial entrepreneur), opening up a salon + clothing store for men was a no brainer.”

Idea was keep the two together under the same roof so that it would provide maximum convenience and at the same time, creating a whole new experience that is hard to find anywhere in Nagaland.

• What does ‘DAPPER’ mean, and tell us a little bit more about it.

The name ‘Dapper’ is self-explanatory. I feel a lot of our Naga men and boys are very stylish in their own way and hence the name. I feel it resonates well with them and also gives the impression that we can Up that factor even more.

At Dapper, in addition to providing top class salon experience for our male customers, we also provide an outlet for Naga designers to retail through us. At present, we have three Naga designers and a fashion artist, whose merchandise are available at the store. In addition, we have our in-house clothing line named “Dapper Customs”. We are also open to partnering with brands that matches our brand value. On that note, we are proud to announce that we just partnered with KOA – a prominent leather accessories brand from Delhi.

Here at Dapper, I stress upon the importance of employing our Naga boys and girls so we can give them good job opportunities back home as well.

• Where do you draw Inspiration from?

People who inspire me are those who are constantly breaking barriers and exploring new avenues – especially those that most people tend to stay away from. I am also inspired by my own life experiences.

• Would you like to share any thoughts about your (Naga) roots?

I am very proud of my roots, culture and ancestry. Bob Marley has echoed what I believe in through his quote “When the root is strong, the fruit is sweet.”

If you wish to know more about DAPPER, do visit their Facebook page.