Preciousmelove is an all girls team from Nagaland running a clothing and accessories business including dolls and vintage clothes. The team is led by Zuboni Humtsoe, a young dynamic entrepreneur and is supported by Humtsoe’s elder sister, Lozano Humtsoe. Zuboni is also the recipient of the prestigious ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar 2016’ owing to the success of PML and its role in empowering women involved with the project.
The team at R&L sat down to interview the talented sister duo to know more about Preciousmelove’s work.
Photo | Zuboni Humtsoe, Proprieter and CEO of Preciousmelove
Elder sister Lozano Humtsoe, Creative Director/Designer with her beautiful baby girl | PreciousMeLove
- About the founders:
Zuboni, a political science graduate from Kalindi College, DU, is the proprietor of Preciousmelove, with a brief work experience at Convergys India which helped her understand the nuances of customer service. A dreamer like no other, she hustles and handles various facets of business from marketing, management, creative direction, content writing, designing, photography to public relations. Zuboni says she has taken inspiration from entrepreneurs like Walt Disney, Mark Zuckerberg and Ratan Tata.
On the other hand, Lozano worked as part of the cabin crew in Kingfisher Airlines for three years before leaving to work full-time for Preciousmelove. Later, Lozano married Lalboy Wiza in 2015 and is the mother of a beautiful baby girl, Withuile Ohana Wiza. On an average day, Lozano is seen juggling between various roles as a mother, head of the company’s design team and the creative director of her team with panache.
- How did Preciousmelove happen?
Preciousmelove is a wonderful example of how dreams and magic can get real. It is a story of a group of ordinary tribal women from Northeast India with a dream of making their own destinies and making the world a better place. On our journey, we faced many adventures, challenges, obstacles, sorrow, and joy together. But with the help of many strangers, friends, our respective families, and well-wishers throughout the world we found the universe conspiring to help us spread the love.
Preciousmelove was launched by Zuboni on 14th December 2011 on Facebook with the help of her elder sister Lozano Humtsoe in Dimapur, Nagaland.
Design by Preciousmelove
Beautiful Floral Blouse by Preciousmelove.
- The brand name ‘Preciousmelove’ sounds very peculiar. Why did you choose to go with it?
To answer that I’d quote a message that one of our well-wishers sent us, “PreciousMeLove represents the dreams of millions of girls who are struggling to make an honest career in a world where one day they will see the rainbow out of their own merit.” Though we had nothing much and though we were not the best, the love and support showered on Preciousmelove has been insane. We are unique only because we are a people’s brand.
“Since my childhood I was always a little different from the rest and because of that I would often be laughed at. I had too many dreams and ambition and at times people around me would almost convince me that I was crazy because I thought differently and didn’t quite fit in. But with time and having seen a lot of hardship, I realized it’s great to be different. It’s wonderful being ambitious because the world is so big and there is so much we can and should do. Dreams are so precious and everybody has the power to change the world. And that’s how ‘Preciousmelove’ came to life.”
Super Model Leno Kense in Preciousmelove.
- What is the inspiration behind the brand?
We are all so proud to be Northeasterns. We have the most beautiful natural landscapes, diverse aesthetics, flora and fauna, culture and tradition, and a peculiar love for fashion. We are also a people that are aware of the problems we face politically, so we envision to work relentlessly and create great sustainable industries, through hard work and creativity. We strive to create a world that would be free from any sort of ‘ism’ and provide a platform for opportunities, welfare, and empowerment to generations. We want to celebrate everything positive and let the whole world know the true beauty and potential of our great region. Preciousmelove represents that ethos.
Playful Handpicked Vintage Apparel | PreciousMeLove.
Besides apparel, the house of Preciousmelove also makes cute handmade dolls. Isn’t it simply adorable?!
Cute Handmade doll by PreciousMeLove
A little customer visiting the Preciousmelove outlet in Nagaland.
- What would you like to say other young entrepreneurs who would want to follow your footsteps?
Be different, dream big and with your eyes open. Anybody can be anything they want to be. No dream is too big, no dreamer too small. There was no ‘aha’ moment for us. You work hard and push yourself every day. Remember to not give up even if you want to. You learn and grow every day. Set your goals way ahead of time. And always stay foolish and hungry.
- Where can we reach out to buy Preciousmelove’s products?
Our head office is in Purana Bazar in Dimapur. We also retail at Kapraa Ser’s bazaar and we are also opening more outlets in different parts of the region soon. Our dolls are currently available at the Fusion Store Outlet in Dimapur. You may also place orders through our online shops. Our product price ranges between Rs.150 and Rs.7999.
Follow Preciousmelove on Facebook & Instagram to stay updated.
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