The business of sustainability
Growing up, Nuryanee Anisah’s family had always instilled in her the desire and duty to uplift those in need. That spurred the then Singapore Polytechnic Business Administration diploma student to co-found Commenhers — a social enterprise that focuses on reducing fabric waste in Singapore via upcycling and creating jobs for the socially disadvantaged.
Nuryanee (back row, second from right), with her team of seamstresses in their upcycled denim aprons, aspires to create social change.
To further specialise her skills as a young business owner, after completing her polytechnic diploma, Nuryanee decided to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree at NUS Business School while enrolling in NUS College (NUSC) to enjoy the diversity offered by a curated broad-based interdisciplinary curriculum at NUSC, NUS’ honours college.
These NUSC programmes struck a chord with the social entrepreneur – who has a passion for sustainability, especially the IEx courses, which will allow her to create impactful solutions for real-world community challenges.
A home away from home
Nuryanee (first row, third from left) on a site visit to the National Gallery as part of NUSC’s NGN2001F: Global Narratives course.
Describing the NUSC culture as friendly and nurturing, Nuryanee finds the faculty and staff very supportive of the students’ projects and endeavours.
A rich experience at Cinnamon Wing in University Town also offered the NUSC student an unforgettable rite of passage: residential life. Counting frequent pizza parties and zumba workouts with her Business or fellow Cinnamon Wing mates among some of her happiest NUS memories, Nuryanee recalls with fondness the scrumptious dining hall food and time spent bonding at the common lounge. “We would hang out at the lounge to study and eat our meals together at the dining hall. The rice and daal are delish!” she enthuses.
Marching to a different beat
While Nuryanee enjoys the vibrant NUSC experience, life has not always been sunshine and rainbows. Diagnosed with dyslexia at Primary One, Nuryanee shared that she could not read until she was in Primary Three and often struggled academically because of this challenge. But the silver lining in this cloud was how it has propelled her to become a much stronger person with a can-do attitude in life. She philosophises: “Looking back, I feel it is not a flaw to feel sad about. Instead, I have a creative bent I can be proud of.”
On advice she would give to facilitate greater awareness and understanding of those with learning disabilities, she advocates: “Don’t be too quick to judge, be open-minded and patient. Not everyone is quick or open to ask for help.”
In addition to her dyslexia, adjusting to the fast-paced campus life in Year 1 was one of the toughest challenges for Nuryanee. She credits NUSC’s Residential Student Life Manager Bianca Tham for being a strong pillar of support and always lending a listening ear: “My first semester got off to a shaky start, but Bianca was there to support me through my journey and be a sounding board to help me explore viable options as I shared my challenges. It was really heartwarming.”
The buzz on business
One of the turning points in Nuryanee’s journey as a student-entrepreneur happened when she decided to join the NUSC Entrepreneurship Club in Year 1. She delved enthusiastically into its activities and a few months later, she even stepped up to serve on their Executive Committee.
Nuryanee (first from right) having a meeting with the NUSC Entrepreneurship Club Exco.
Compelled by a firm belief in the importance of supporting fellow fledgling entrepreneurs in both idea generation and knowledge sharing, Nuryanee hopes to contribute her own connections to widen the Club’s network. “I hope to bring in one of my own business partners to give a talk on sustainability. Since we are so close-knit, it is also easier to form closer ties and create a supportive community,” she adds.
Nuryanee (first from right) and her peers at a panel discussion with Founder and CEO of Invigilo Technologies, Vishnu Saran, an alumnus from NUS Engineering and NUS Overseas Colleges Silicon Valley Programme who shared about how he uses AI to improve workplace safety in high-risk environments.
Cut from the same cloth
Nuryanee’s participation in the Yale-NUS Fashion Society (YNFS) has also created synergy for her sustainable fashion startup and pushed her into new areas of growth. “It has really helped me to be in a creative space whilst studying business, giving me the opportunity to meet other like-minded folks, and to upskill and create garments to boot as well!” she shares enthusiastically.
Citing one unexpected development during their annual 2022/2023 Fashion Show, she elaborates: “Commenhers has been a registered business for 1.5 years, yet I had never explored making apparel, only bags. But the fashion show really pushed me out of my comfort zone to create sustainable apparel. In the end, I produced a two-piece suit prototype (pants and vest), to my delight.” Not one to rest on her laurels, Nuryanee is also concurrently pursuing a diploma in apparel design and product development under the Textile and Fashion Industry Training Centre (TaF.tc).
Greenhousing passions
Currently, the 23-year-old is also a Project Director at the NUS Social Impact Catalyst (NUSSIC), a student-led initiative that champions social entrepreneurship among youths to transform lives and shape a more sustainable world. In March 2023, Nuryanee and her Commenhers’ co-founder Ye Htut Linn decided to take part in the NUSSIC Project Demo Day Pitching Competition — a collaboration between NUSSIC and NUS Enterprise on the value impact track. Commenhers emerged as the champion, and was awarded a SGD $10,000 Impact Track grant on the NUS Venture Initiation Programme (VIP).
“The grant helped us establish two of our co-sewing spaces this year and bring onboard more local beneficiaries such as the elderly, housewives, single mothers and home tailors, in collaboration with the PAP Community Foundation and Adventist Elder Active Centre. We expanded from 8 local makers last year to 40 this year!” shared Nuryanee.
Postulating that the journey really is more important than the destination, she mused that the sheer effort of trying and pushing boundaries was already an achievement.
Fitting the pieces together
Nuryanee (first from left) and her fellow finalists at the National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards 2023.
Reflecting on how her experiences in NUS College and NUS Business School have shaped and honed her as a social entrepreneur and CEO of Commenhers, Nuryanee offered: “While we started the fabric upcycling startup back in Singapore Polytechnic because we have a passion to make a difference in the fashion industry through sustainable fashion, it was the knowledge I have gained in my NUS education that allow Commenhers to scale up the past year.”
Crediting the NUSC course NSW2001F: Understanding the Social World for making her a better entrepreneur by broadening her mindset and deepening her sense of empathy as she works with her beneficiaries, Nuryanee explains: “I work with Mandarin-speaking elderly and struggle with language barriers in our communication. But now I take more initiative in problem solving and either bring along a translator to facilitate dialogue or use an app to translate the instructions.”
The Marketing course MKT1705: Principles of Marketing at NUS Business School was also a highlight for Nuryanee. She added:
Currently Commenhers is incubating under SCAPE Creative Fellowship Season 4 and The Women in Entrepreneurship Incubator. As Commenhers scales up to shift gears from a B2C business model selling to individual customers to a B2B one that sells to other businesses, Nuryanee shared that there are more than 10 corporate projects and workshops in the pipeline, with clients ranging from international fashion and apparel brands and department stores, to government agencies, schools, and hospitals.
Since November 2023, Commenhers has even collaborated with Decathlon by helping them hold workshops and transforming their material waste—such as damaged kayaks and inflatable mattresses—into stylish, functional items like duffel and tote bags. The young social enterprise has also conducted workshops at Northbrooks Secondary School to offer a hands-on experience for students to experiment with creative upcycling techniques.
Her advice to fellow student entrepreneurs? Start making a difference today, be it at school or beyond.
