Neelofa
Noor Neelofa binti Mohd Noor, better known by her stage name Neelofa or Lofa, is a Malaysian actress, television presenter, commercial model and entrepreneur. She has appeared in several films, TV series and programmes. She was named amongst 'Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia' in 2017.
Neelofa studied in Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Langkawi, and achieved excellent results. After graduating, she studied and took A Levels for two years at KDU University College. Her dream was to further her studies in the United States of America, but her family did not approve of her decision. Neelofa then pursued her studies at Sunway University in the field of Bachelor of International Business & Marketing. She participated in a beauty queen competition, Dewi Remaja and won the title of Dewi Remaja 2009/10 organised by the Malaysian teen magazine, Remaja. She received her Bachelor International Trade and Marketing education at Sunway University College. With her background in business study, she then became involved in ventures involving contact lenses, nutritious drinks, and small gigs before Naelofar Hijab was launched.
Early life
Neelofa was born in Pasir Mas, Kelantan and is of Arabic, Pakistani and Malay descent.Career in entertainment
Neelofa was a winner in Dewi Remaja 2009/2010. She appeared in Kau Yang Terindah as Alisya and is a host of the television programs MeleTOP and Nona.In 2014, she took acting classes at the New York Film Academy.
Alongside Nabil Ahmad, Neelofa is also a host for a Malaysian television programme, MeleTOP aired on Astro Ria. She announced on the series that she will resign as the host in December 2019 after exactly 8 years.
Positive reviews of her were given in the press and from the public for her acting in Lukisan Takdir and Wan Embong.
Filmography
Film
TV series
Telemovie
Host
TV Appearance
Theatre
Music video appearance
Business ventures
Neelofa is involved in several business ventures including: Lofalens, which is a contact lens brand, health care products Beautea Slim pills and a Muslim women's clothing brand Naelofar Hijab for women, selling through online and retail stores in Selangor and distributors across Malaysia and Singapore.Influencer
With more than seven million followers on Instagram, Naelofar has become a fashion icon for many Muslim women donning the hijab, or 'tudung' as it is referred to in the region of Malaysia and Singapore. She has fronted campaigns for Dior, Lancome and Swarovski, representing modest fashion by sitting front and centre at most fashion shows at New York, Milan and Paris Fashion Week.She is the first Malaysian to have won the 2019 Influencer Awards at Monaco under the Entrepreneur category on 7 October 2019. Each nomination was chosen by a jury, with the nominations coming in from all over the world.
On 8 December 2017, AirAsia appointed Neelofa as its new non-executive independent director. Tony Fernandes, the AirAsia Group chief executive officer described Neelofa as "super smart, young and independent".
Naelofar Hijab
Neelofa founded and helmed NH Prima Sdn Bhd as its director since 2014. Her hijab brand, "Naelofar Hijab" is sold in more than 37 countries including Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Australia, UAE, United Kingdom and Europe.In June 2017, "Naelofar Hijab" took on new heights when it collaborated with AirAsia to design hijab for female pilots of AirAsia and AirAsia X.
In conjunction with her birthday celebration in 2018, Neelofa launched turban range, “Be Lofa Turban” at Zouk KL. She received backlash from netizens for holding her product launch in the nightclub. The new turban line was sold out in less than 24 hours after launching. On 1 March 2018, she has issued a public statement of apology saying "I would like to sincerely apologise for causing stress and negative sentiments on the selection of the venue."
In 2019, she has partnered with Starbucks to produce the Starbucks x Naelofar exclusive collection which retailed only at Starbucks.
From 2014 to 2019, she sold more than 10 million hijabs.
Nilofa Group
In Dec 2019, Neelofa introduced the Nilofa brand with its first product, banana milk, to the Malaysian market under the company name Nilofa Group. An advertisement of the product claimed that the milk would have benefits such as reducing obesity, lowering high blood pressure, increasing metabolism rate and removing toxins from the body. UK-based general surgeon Dr Nur Amalina Che Bakri, went on to Twitter to call out Neelofa on these claims calling them out as false-advertising.Neelofa's response was that the advertising was published by the marketing agency without the approval of Nilofa Group. As a new company, she kept her team small and had outsourced the marketing. The claims got the attention of Malaysia's Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, or Ministry of Health to visit the factory to investigate the processes of the milk product behind these claims. KKM found no major issues with the packaging but gave some recommended the packaging of the product to clearly communicate the milk product as a banana milk.
Endorsements
Philanthropy and endorsement
In April 2012, Neelofa alongside Nazim Othman, Fizo Omar, Zoey Rahman, Intan Ladyana and Aiman Hakim Ridza was appointed as the Young Biz Icons for Oxford Centre of Excellence . According to Oxcell, "The appointment of six icons was based on academic success and career development in the arts". Through this program, the celebrity icons will share their experiences throughout involved in the world of business and the arts.In July 2013, the Malaysian private, free-to-air television channel, TV3 appointed Neelofa along with Adi Putra, Nora Danish, Fiza Sabjahan, Amar Asyraf, Nelydia Senrose, Tasha Shilla and Aiman Hakim Ridza as the ambassador for Anugerah Syawal 2013. According to TV3 "The appointment of these celebrities is to promote programs on television and radio throughout the month of Shawwal."