Copyright birminghammail
A Birmingham business has revealed how its TikTok success led to an unlikely partnership with Debenhams. Sereality Studios was set up in the pandemic by childhood friends Nima Alale and Nasra Hassan in Stechford , who used their parents' living rooms as offices. A floral designer business tailored for weddings and events, the childhood friends eventually turned to the social media app TikTok. Read More: Birmingham celebrity appears on Tonight Show with important message Despite being camera-shy, Nima and Nasra have gained over half a million likes with entertaining videos and skits which highlight their flowers. Due to their social media success, Sereality Studios was contacted by Debenhams to collaborate on a bridal audition and Nima spoke to BirminghamLive about the journey so far. She said: "We were really shy and didn't want to put our faces on camera. "But once we got deep into our business, we needed to look at social media and now love making content on TikTok. "Debenhams discovered us through TikTok when they were working on a bridal audition. "They saw our content and wanted us to do a bridal audition shoot with their products, including tables, napkins and vases. "TikTok is perfect for getting your personality across whereas something like Instagram is more about the glitz and glamour. "I could never fault TikTok and say it's taken us very far in our recognition. Even the other day, someone approached us who has seen our videos." The duo revealed starting the business had not been plain sailing. "On TikTok, people like to see the struggle and achievements. And at the start, we had a lot of phases where we struggled," they said. "We worked in a freezing storage container in the middle of nowhere and would drive around hours in a van. "We would be getting up at 5am to pick up flowers and transporting them for hours, the beginning wasn't glamorous. "What we posted was glamorous, but behind the scenes, it wasn't." The success continues for Nimra and Nasra who have been nominated for Best Midlands Florist at the Small Business Awards. Ahead of the awards ceremony in December, Sereality Studios will be hoping they are a cut above the competition.
