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Industri Fashion dan Harga Jujur




Saat tulisan viral “Istri Direktur” sedang hangat2nya, di antara ratusan pesan yang masuk, saya menerima sebuah pesan pribadi dari follower Instagram. Tulisan panjang dalam Bahasa Inggris itu intinya mengatakan, bahwa dia juga seorang yang hemat namun tidak akan mau beli baju seharga 50ribu karena itu berarti tidak menghargai pekerja garmen lokal. Dia menyarankan saya meluangkan waktu untuk survey berapa upah para pekerja konveksi rumahan.

Industri Fashion

Kira2 begini deh ekspresi saya saat membaca pesan dan sarannya. Poker face. Ehehehe.


Saya katakan terima kasih atas concernnya. Tapi tidak perlu mengajari saya berapa upah pekerja garmen lokal, sebab mama saya pernah menjadi bagian dari mereka. Ya, waktu saya kecil, mama saya adalah penjahit konveksi rumahan, sampai sakit maag karena lupa makan demi mengejar target borongan. Upahnya memang kecil, tapi cukuplah untuk membantu perekonomian keluarga. Tahun 2008 hingga 2010 saya juga sempat terjun ke industri fashion garment, sehingga saya paham berapa harga dasar sebuah pakaian, berapa ketika dijual grosiran, berapa ketika dijual di bazaar (that's why I love bazaar haha), berapa ketika dijual di mall, berapa ketika dijual di butik, dan seterusnya. 

Karena pernah berada dalam industri tersebut, saya tahu bagaimana dan di mana mendapatkan baju murah, baik bermerek maupun tidak. Saya mengerti mata rantai produk fashion khususnya pakaian; mulai dari pasokan materi, proses dan ongkos produksi, penjualan dan pemasaran, hingga apa yang dilakukan produsen ketika produknya tidak laku, cacat, atau kelebihan produksi. Karena tahu seluk beluknya, saya tak heran ketika menemukan barang yang sama persis bisa dijual dengan harga yang jauh berbeda, apalagi jika sudah diberi embel-embel brand atau merk. Ada banyak sekali variabel yang mempengaruhi harga selain ongkos produksi. Saya bahkan tahu kapan musim diskon alias sale, dan mengapa bisa banting harga. 

Tidak Banyak yang Tahu

Mas Lingga semangat cerita ke saya dan suami mulai dari Sale Stock Indonesia berdiri di akhir 2014 sampai sekarang.


Namun sayangnya, tidak banyak yang memiliki pengetahuan akan hal ini. Termasuk Mas Lingga Madu, sekitar 2 tahun lalu. Seperti yang ia ceritakan pada saya dan suami ketika kami diundang untuk makan malam bertiga pada 20 Oktober lalu. Sama seperti kami yang punya program #pacaranmingguini, Mas Lingga dan istrinya Mbak Ariza Novianti juga punya waktu rutin untuk pacaran. Pada suatu malam, Mbak Ariza melihat baju bagus di mall. Melihat istrinya kepingin, Mas Lingga berbaik hati membelikan baju itu buat sang istri.

Seminggu kemudian, alangkah kagetnya Mas Lingga ketika melihat baju yang sama persis dijual dengan harga diskon yang jauhhh lebih murah. Ia marah karena sebagai konsumen merasa dibohongi. Ia pun mempertanyakan perbedaan harga tersebut kepada pelayan toko hingga ke supervisornya. Tanggapan mereka kurang memuaskan, sehingga membuat Mas Lingga tambah kecewa. Ketika menceritakan ini kepada kami, ekspresinya menggebu-gebu. Dia bilang, "I'm not proud of myself at that time, tapi itulah yang saya rasakan. Kecewa. Kesal. Marah. Mengapa jualan sampai harus begitu?"

Mengubah Pain Menjadi Gain

Bukan hanya cerita sejarahnya, tapi juga nunjukkin kecanggihan teknologi Artificial Intelligence yang digunakan. Keren! 


Malam itu Mas Lingga tak bisa tidur karena perasaan yang mengganjal. Menurutnya, karena sandang adalah kebutuhan dasar manusia selain pangan dan papan, maka tidak seharusnya harga sandang dipermainkan. Ia kemudian penasaran, sebenarnya berapa harga dasar baju tersebut. Pikirnya, tak mungkin mereka jual rugi. Nah di sinilah bedanya pecundang dengan pemenang. Seorang pecundang hanya berhenti di rasa kecewa dan amarah saja. Sedangkan pemenang, mengolah energi negatif itu menjadi bahan bakar keingintahuan, yang kemudian bisa menerbangkannya menuju puncak kesuksesan. Dan itu yang mereka lakukan: mengubah pain menjadi gain.

Maka pada akhir tahun 2014 Mas Lingga dan istrinya Mbak Ariza Novianti melahirkan Sale Stock Indonesia. Dengan slogan Fashion Untuk Kita Semua, Sale Stock Indonesia mengemban misi untuk membawa kesamarataan fashion di seluruh negeri. Mereka bertekad menyediakan produk fashion berkualitas dengan harga jujur, yang bisa diakses masyarakat Indonesia dari Aceh hingga Papua. Dengan menghilangkan perantara, memotong biaya overhead, fokus berjualan secara online, mereka bisa meminimalkan biaya, dan ini jelas menguntungkan bagi pelanggannya. Terlebih, mereka memberlakukan gratis ongkos kirim tanpa minimum order ke seluruh nusantara. Tak heran, sejak didirikan mereka telah melayani lebih dari satu juta pesanan.

Mutual Respect

Menutup perbincangan dengan perut kenyang dan hati senang karena menemukan teman seperjuangan! 


Kembali ke tulisan viral yang dibahas di awal, ternyata tulisan itulah yang membuat Mas Lingga ingin bertemu dengan saya. Kesempatan langka, sebab saya dengar dari teman jurnalis kalau Mas Lingga agak tertutup dengan media. Saya jadi tahu alasannya kenapa mereka memilih under the radar. Dan kami sama-sama heran, kok bisa tidak saling kenal sebelumnya tapi bisa punya misi yang senada, hingga tercipta mutual respect. Lebih heran lagi, ketika ia baru tahu bahwa tim Sale Stock sudah terlebih dulu bertemu dengan saya untuk bincang santai sambil makan siang. Hasil bincang santai siang itu telah mereka tuangkan dalam bentuk tulisan di blog Sale Stock Indonesia ini.

Pada kesempatan itu juga saya ceritakan ke Mas Lingga kalau saya punya grup Indonesia Lifestyle Digital Influencers (ILDI), dan agenda gathering bulanannya mengajak teman2 influencers main2 ke tempat brands atau startups. Fungsi ILDI adalah membukakan jalan bagi para influencers untuk kenalan dengan brands, dan mendekatkan brands kepada para influencers. Namun demikian, brands tidak boleh hardsell, melainkan sekedar sharing story, visi, misi, dan kontribusi terhadap society. Alhasil Mas Lingga sangat antusias mengundang saya dan anggota ILDI untuk bertandang ke Sale Stock Indonesia Manufacture di Cikokol hari Minggu 20 November nanti. Can’t wait!

Selasa, 15 November 2016
Nuniek Tirta Ardianto

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