AMMAN — With an excess of 194,000 Instagram followers and counting,
small local business
Kees helps customers incorporate their favorite songs into
every-day outfits.
اضافة اعلان
The idea behind Kees started with
Amer Al-Haj, a 24-year old with a passion for music, who had always dreamt of
becoming a singer. But when his musical talents failed him, he took an
alternative route to expressing his love of music; starting an Instagram page
to sell t-shirts with lyrics from Jordanian songs printed on fabric.
The brand’s logo features an
anthropomorphized brown paper bag, hollow — but still full of potential.
“At the age of 21, my life was just empty,” Haj said in an interview
with
Jordan News. “That is why the logo depicts people who want to do something
with their life, and just break out of the void they live in.”
Like many of his peers with
entrepreneurial ambitions, the Kees-founder faced challenges at the very
beginning, from both his community and family. Haj faced pushback, especially
after he announced he would drop out of university and take up his own venture.
But his persistence and passion drove him to leave the criticism behind and
pursue his own version of success.
“The thing that I dreamt about quite a lot was to have my own project
and source of funding; that is why I work with love,” Haj explained.
The small business’s Instagram
page, which features eye-catching graphic designs and Arabic text on t-shirts, has
connected with more than 20,000 followers. Hoping to build a sense of community,
Haj and his team refer to their followers as ‘Kees’ family.’
Haj prioritizes building a base
of loyal customers, and shows love to his brand’s supporters by ending every
Instagram post or story with: “Kees family loves you.”
The Instagram page has five administrators,
each of whom has a particular task, but collectively work to promote the
brand’s loving ethos.
Haj explained that he sits with
his group weekly and holds brainstorming sessions to develop creative ideas for
marketing, photography, and design.
Photography is an essential part
of the Kees business approach. The team aims to support youth models and
photographers by asking them to take part in the brand’s photo shoots.
Each customer’s request for a
printed item takes up to two days, passing through a clear-cut process. The
process starts by responding to messages on Instagram, then transferring the
order via the website or WhatsApp. After that, the products are printed and
packaged, before they are delivered to the customer.
But the administrators of the
Instagram page and small business are proud that their prices are affordable to
a wide range of consumers and that their products are made with high-quality
fabric.
Haj thought of opening a pop-up shop
and acquiring in-person points of sale, but then he realized that his dream was
more extensive than that. “I feel like Kees’ family needs a place, something
more than a shop, to pick up their orders,” he said.
He told
Jordan News that he
thinks that each person should work hard and be creative in order to build new
ideas. He believes that people should not wait for others’ support, but rather
take initiative and they take advantage of any opportunity they find.
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