Autistic M'sian Influencer Opens Her Own Aesthetically Pleasing Rug Store & We're Obsessed

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With the rise of the Internet and social media influencers, rug tufting is finally getting the recognition it deserves as an art form that requires special skills and a lot of patience.

Tufted rugs are made with extreme care by their artist who carefully shoots balls of yarn with a tufting gun.

Despite the use of a tufting gun, many would still consider this a handcrafted art form, as it requires a tremendous amount of skills for the artist to create a high-quality product.

When it comes to tufted rugs, most rug artists understand that one piece can take days or weeks to complete, so they carefully design and create each piece with intricate details so they can be satisfied by the end product.

This also means that artists are free to experiment with their own ideas rather than follow trends.

As a result, most of these tufted rugs do not have the same design as one another. Each purchase is a unique transaction, as you are getting yourself a one-in-a-million piece of art.

If you spent your days during the Movement Control Order (MCO) doomscrolling your way through your TikTok's for you page (FYP), you might have seen the lighthearted videos made by 23-year-old Hanis Zahirah.

During the pandemic, Hanis became a viral sensation with her hilarious and relatable videos that revolved around Syed Saddiq, Malaysian culture, food, and local slang that we are all familiar with.

Through her short yet hilarious punchlines and sketches, Hanis gained over 21,200 followers and over one million likes on the app.

The young gaming student has also worked with countless notable brands, including Eucerin, Garnier, and Velvet Vanity.

In a sit-down interview with SAYS, Hanis revealed that she was clinically diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in early 2019 while she was receiving medical assistance for different illnesses.

"Prior to being diagnosed with ASD, I was actually receiving psychotherapy treatments for depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)," said the young artist.

"While I was receiving treatment for those illnesses, I later discovered that I am actually autistic."

Hanis also said she has never let her autism stop her, and that she started taking commissions and selling her art products when she was just 13 years old.

"I started my first business when I was 13 years old. I hand-painted shoes and sold them," she added.

She went on to say that her love of art is not limited to making fashion accessories and that she has since dabbled in digital and gaming art.

She revealed that she started watching videos of people tufting rugs on YouTube and wanted to try it out for herself.

"I watched some YouTube videos and I immediately thought that it looked so cool. I continued searching for rug tufting on the Internet and found several Instagram accounts documenting their rug tufting process," she said in a conversation with this SAYS writer.

The idea of trying the art herself and opening her own store came in January this year, and in October, she launched NO RUGRETS.

However, she went on to say that it was not an easy process for her to start.

"Tufting costs a lot of money and I'm a broke student, so I had to start saving up early this year. I finally bought the machine, which cost over RM1,000," she added.

Despite her autism, Hanis said she found the process of tufting rugs easy to grasp and that the skill came naturally to her.

"It's actually a very common trait for autistic people to have one or several strong interests towards certain things. As for me, tufting was that hidden interest that I later discovered and quickly became obsessed with," she said.

She went on to say that it did not take her long to get used to rug making.

"Learning how to tuft was quite quick. It only took a few rugs for me to consider myself good enough and that I'm no longer a beginner," she added.

Exploring NO RUGRETS's Instagram page, customers can easily find designs that are eye-catching and unique.

In addition to simplistic, minimalistic, and colourful rugs, Hanis has also created an 80cm Studio Ghibli rug and other anime-inspired goodies.

"Besides Studio Ghibli rugs, I have plans to make rugs based on other popular anime television (TV) shows including, Sailor Moon, Hunter x Hunter, Attack on Titan, and so many more," she said.

"But I also make rugs based on 80's inspired designs with appealing colour blockings that are suitable for people of all ages and backgrounds."

Hanis is not currently accepting custom rug designs because she wants to fully explore her creativity and use rug making as a form of self-expression.

Nonetheless, you can catch Hanis' lovely designs on her Instagram page, and grab yourself a one-of-a-kind rug when she curates one.

With her already distinct and aesthetically pleasing designs, we believe that everyone will find a rug that best suits their lifestyle at her store.