KUCHING: The wearing of face masks has become the new normal and part of the fashion statement.
With the rising sales of face masks in the market, there is also a demand for the lanyards that go with them.
This has prompted a university student to switch from producing and selling beaded earrings to beaded face mask lanyards.
Emirian Suling Balan said she initially made the face mask cords just to fill her free time.
“Since my mother had surplus beads, I used them to make face mask lanyards.
“My business idea began after I realised that there was a need for face mask lanyards to make it easier for people to hang their face masks instead of putting them on the table, which is considered unhygienic.
“Coincidentally, at the same time, I also came across some interesting lanyard designs on Pinterest.
“I didn’t expect this fun activity to become a moneymaking business,” she confessed.
The 21-year-old Kenyah girl said her face mask lanyards received encouraging response as soon as she opened the booking to the public.
Emirian, who is an Open University Malaysia (OUM) student in Miri, is grateful to her family and friends for supporting her business.
Depending on the designs and beads used, her lanyards are sold for as low as RM10 each.
Besides regular beads, she also uses letter-shaped beads in her designs.
“Since I operate entirely from home during this movement control order (MCO) period, I use the postal service to send my customer orders.
“Besides beaded lanyards, I also make and sell beaded earrings, beaded bracelets and anklets for as low as RM3 each,” she said, adding that most of her customers were from Ulu Baram and Kuching.
Emirian hopes that her story will inspire anyone who is affected by stress during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Now is the perfect time to explore things you love doing and maybe turn them into something that can help you make money,” she said.
Members of the public who are interested to buy Emirian’s beaded face mask lanyards can visit her social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok) by searching for anneshoppe_ or call her at 016-9763734.
