Hanifa’s New Era Is Here After Its Founder ‘Uprooted Everything’

Hanifa founder Anifa Mvuemba didn’t pause the brand’s operations earlier this year because she wanted to, but because she needed to. At the time, she was returning from maternity leave after giving birth to her second child. But she didn’t realize she was coming back to a chaotic business: Hanifa was dealing with major shipping delays because manufacturers were holding up production. As a result, some customers waited months for their orders and quickly expressed their frustrations online.  

The agitation snowballed, and videos of customers ranting about their order delays and the brand’s poor customer service went viral on TikTok and Instagram. Needless to say, that was a lot for Mvuemba to deal with on top of having a newborn at home. 

“It was just necessary for me to really consider myself in that moment, my mental state and just me as a whole, and just making sure that I’m also being present for my newborn,” she tells Fashionista. “It was the best decision to make for me at that time.”

Nine months later, Hanifa is resuming operations and launching a new fall collection on Nov. 18 on its website. “Hanifa is a part of my DNA, so I can’t stay away too long,” Mvuemba says of the return. “And I do think that Hanifa definitely deserves this next chapter.”

At the root of the fall collection is what every Hanifa lineup centers on: the woman’s body. Since its launch in 2011, the brand has been recognized for its inclusive sizing, form-flattering silhouettes, playful colors, bold prints and unique textures. (As of 2017, the label also became known for its knitwear.) It was essential that Mvuemba incorporate these design signatures into the new collection, which she says is the label’s most elevated yet. Prices will remain in a similarly affordable range.

“It’s still very Hanifa, but it just feels more mature,” she explains. “I started this brand when I was 21, and I’m 36 this year. I’ve grown, and so the brand has grown with me…We’re more sure of ourselves, we’re clearheaded and we’re sharper. We know our customer — we know where she goes and what she wants.”

And what does the customer want? Diverse offerings, Mvuemba says, so the brand is also bringing back footwear and handbags. “A lot of our shoppers really love Hanifa for their special moments, but I also want us to be a part of their regular moments too,” she says. The focus on category expansion fits into Mvuemba’s larger plan of growing Hanifa into a global name. 

International recognition has always been Mvuemba’s goal, but Hanifa’s previous infrastructure made it difficult to scale domestically, let alone globally. While the brand was on hiatus, it underwent a complete internal revamp: It outsourced its customer service team, hired a new 3PL to handle shipping and is working with different manufacturers. 

“We pretty much uprooted everything,” she says. “There were definitely some operational loopholes that we didn’t consider before. In general, scaling is hard, especially for independent brands. So learning a lot of those things, from production to manufacturing, to how we communicate with our customers, is everything. It really and truly does feel like a new era for the brand.”

It’s not something you see every day in this industry: Pausing operations can be costly, and smaller, independent brands don’t always have the luxury of taking a hiatus and making a comeback. When asked whether she felt pressured to deliver an extra-memorable collection for this grand reintroduction, Mvuemba replies that the only pressure she felt was to outdo herself. 

“I look back at the history of the brand and what we’ve done in the past, and we’re just trying to outdo what we always do,” she explains. “I got settled with the fact that I’m only competing with myself. That was also another reason why the pause mattered too, because I didn’t want to perform or act like we had it all figured out, because we didn’t at the time.”

For other brand founders dealing with operational instability, Mvuemba encourages them to take a close look at their businesses and be honest about their company’s state. For her, taking a much-needed reset was ultimately imperative for Hanifa’s health and future.  

“Allowing yourself to have a moment of rest to just think and process is really important,” she adds. “It gave me the mental clarity that I really, really needed. I didn’t realize how much I needed that break. [You need to] allow yourself to have that moment [of rest] so you can really process and be the best leader for your team and for your business.”

With a refreshed mindset and revamped business, Mvuemba is looking forward to bringing customers into Hanifa’s new, elevated world. “I’ve been very, very excited about world-building and allowing our customers to really immerse themselves in this vision and what we’ve been doing,” she shares. “I want them to love all the pieces, and I’m just very excited to share what we have. I mean, it’s really good.”

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