Vivy Yusof – Fashion Icon, Blogger, Entrepreneur, Mother
Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Vivy Yusof runs FashionValet, one of Asia’s leading multi-label online sites carrying Asian designer labels, and The dUCk Group, a lifestyle brand of headscarves and stationery along with her husband, Fadzarudin Shah Anuar.
Vivy started blogging when she studied law at London School of Economics. She has been blogging for almost nine years now at Proudduck.com about everything under the sun; love, life, career, family, and now motherhood. Upon graduating with a law degree, she realized that she was not cut out for the legal life and returned to Malaysia to work with her father’s company – the Proven Group which is into property development.
The entrepreneurial spirit in her soon drove her to start her own venture. Her husband (then boyfriend) and she came up with the idea of having an online store, after they saw that she had a big following of fashion-savvy females online through her blog. Thus, FashionValet was born in November 2010. They were the first multi-label online site in Malaysia at the time and had only 10 brands. They now have over 400 brands and offices in Malaysia and Jakarta, Indonesia and are in the midst of setting up in Singapore now.
High point in career
There are too many highs! From expanding our team of three to almost 70, being chosen to represent Malaysia on an e-commerce tour to the USA, moving to a bigger FashionValet HQ in my dream location, collaborating with talented local designers and celebrities, to opening our flagship physical store! All of these achievements combined make for an exciting career!
But if I had to choose, it’s watching my teammates grow into leaders in their own rights. Fadza and I used to be very hands on to the smallest details, but in 2015 we let go off the reigns a little bit and put trust in the team leaders to manage their own departments. We were pleasantly surprised that they are carrying out their roles even better than we could!
Most challenging assignment so far
On a professional note setting up regionally. Every country has its own legislation, its own culture, and are at different stages in technology. So we could’nt just replicate our success in Malaysia to other countries. It’s easier said than done – opening up operations in other countries -and as fun as it is, it’s definitely a challenge!
On a personal note, juggling motherhood and career. There is no manual (I’ve looked everywhere! :D) so I think a working mom just has to do what she feels is right. There will never be a set formula of balancing the hours, and some periods are busier at work than others. Its always a dilemma but a working mom has to be strong and know that they’re just trying to provide better lives for their kids. How to make up for lost time at work? To cherish and make full use of every minute you have at home with your kids.
Greatest inspiration
My teammates at FashionValet. Its beyond work relationship, we’re all a family here at FV. One can see how welcoming the team is and how we instantly connect and help each other in our own growth personally and professionally. I love coming to work everyday seeing their faces and when I see them working hard, I feel inspired and motivated to push even harder to bring our company to greater heights. Not just for me, but for them too.
Women are the better halves. What does it mean?
I think women are halves to a better whole. I cannot imagine starting and growing FashionValet without Fadza or running our household without him. As cheesy as it is, he completes the things I lack and we work well as a team. I married my best friend and that was the best decision in my life.