Background

Vivy Yusof is a Malaysian Online Entrepreneur. No stranger to fashion, she co-founded the renowned Malaysian shopping site, FashionValet. At 26, she’s already established herself and has made her presence known in the local industry. Apart from being an entrepreneur, Vivy is also well known in the blogosphere. Her blog Proudduck gives readers insights to her hectic schedule, witty sense of humour and sense of style. However, don’t let her fashionista status fool you, as Vivy had graduated in law from the London School of Economics and also holds the title Business Development Manager of Proven Holding. 

While Vivy’s days are kept incredibly busy with work, she somehow also manages to make motherhood look effortless. Even with her schedule Vivy still ensures family life is her number one priority as she juggles between meetings and dirty diapers. Vivy Yusof inspires me because her life shows that you can be successful and headstrong; you can be establish yourself even at a young age; you can be juggle between family and work and most of all, you can do it all in great clothes and 5 inch heels.

Skills and Competencies 

Six years ago, Vivy started her blog called Prodduck which she kept while studying in London School of Economics. She loved to write and started her online journals to pen her thoughts and experiences as a student abroad. It wasn't long before she built a loyal following of readers, comprising of mostly young Malaysian women who connected with her wit, humour and aspirational style. Fat forward to 2010, when Vivy and her then-boyfriend, Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, returned to London. In the Big Smoke, widespread e-commerce meant that everything that they wanted was a mere mouse-click away. Coming home, the absence of mainstream online retail was a glaring gap that begged to be filled. So they set out to try something. Fashion was a clear opportunity for someone with a following of young, style-conscious readers. Vivy is overwhelmed by the support she has received from her fans and she says she never imagined that her little blog could grow into the business it is today. It was this readership that went on to follow Vivy on her social media accounts, including Instagram, where she posts updates on her life, offers sneak peak previews of Fashion Valet launches, and regular #OOTDs. Now more than ever, her personal choices have a way of more immediately influencing how people perceive Fashion Valet. 

How Fashion Valet was built
The couple’s education prepared them for a world away from fashion — she had read law while he had studied aeronautical engineering. Unable to design, they set out to replicate the multi-label model of popular UK-based online retailer ASOS, where a variety of designer brands are offered under one roof. To differentiate their site from others, they planned to stock local designer labels.

FashionValet made its debut just one month later as Vivy was relentless in making sure that it happened as soon as possible. Word was that international conglomerates were looking for a slice of the same pie and she was adamant that they would be first in line to take fashion e-commerce mainstream. It was this objective that pushed them to take a leap of faith with no business experience. When told that website development would take between three and six months, Vivy insisted that the pace be stepped up. FashionValet was kick-started with RM100,000 and launched in November 2010 with 10 local brands. Today, what began as a start-up with just Vivy, Fadzarudin and friend Asma Nasarudin now has 30 employees and stocks more than 300 brands from across Southeast Asia.

In its first year, FashionValet reported revenue of RM705,405 and a net loss of RM12,954, according to filings with the Companies Commission of Malaysia. In 2012, FashionValet’s revenue came in at RM1.21 million, with a net loss of RM166,793. In between, they managed to secure RM1 million through the second season of reality television show MyEG Make The Pitch, which provided them with much-needed funds to further their marketing plans and expand their customer base. A large part of FashionValet’s success can be attributed to Vivy, who is the face of her brand in ways a model or celebrity ambassador could never be. Her life as a young woman integrating career, family and motherhood is something many Proudduck readers and FashionValet shoppers identify with. FashionValet also strikes a chord with many urban young Muslim women as a store that champions new designers while providing an ample selection of modest yet contemporary clothing.

To stay ahead of the game, FashionValet devised exclusive collaboration collections with local designers such as Mimpikita and INNAI RED. Price points vary, although luxury labels such as INNAI have developed more accessible, affordable lines for the collaborations. This year, the collaborations were expanded to include celebrity collections, with the first being an eight-piece Raya collection with Nora Danish. Moving forward, FashionValet has plans to collaborate with international designers and celebrities, beginning with personalities from Indonesia. According to Vivy, their main challenge at the moment is in scaling up, adapting what has worked in Malaysia on a much-larger scale. The company is expanding its local operations with a new office in Empire Damansara. Regional expansion includes the setting up of an office and warehouse in Indonesia. It already has substantial presence in Singapore and Brunei. Through it all, Vivy’s motivation is grounded on her goals for FashionValet and her partnership with husband Fadzarudin.