They’re only in their twenties but Fadza Anuar and Vivy Yusof have grown the seven-year-old FashionValet into a successful, regional multi-million dollar e-commerce company.
Fadza and Vivy met over a decade ago while studying in London. Vivy is the more vivacious of the two, known for her razor-sharp wit and larger than life presence, while Fadza is the more soft-spoken and serious other half. Their personalities translate to their roles for FashionValet –Vivy as cofounder and her husband Fadza as CEO – which they formed in 2010 after an unbearable shopping experience.
“After going from bumper-to-bumper traffic, an irritated Fadza blurted out, “Why can’t everything be in one place?’ It was as if a lightbub switched on in our heads.” Vivy recalled. “His question sparked an idea and we couldn’t stop talking about it.”
By the next day the couple had registered their company. “We jumped right in. We didn’t doubt ourselves at all. We were so hungry to get things off the ground,” were Vivy’s own words.
The couple approached local designers and convinced them to create ready-to-wear pieces for their new online shopping site. Backed by Vivy’s rising public status, thanks to her personal blog proudduck.com started in 2008, she took on the role as the face of the company while Fadza worked behind the scenes solidifying the company’s business model and cashflow.
Soon, FashionValet expanded its business from online to offline, opening three outlets in two years. They also ventured into men’s and kidswear and collaborated with celebrities for the brand’s in-house label. Currently, FashionValet is available in Brunei, Singapore and Jakarta.
Not to mention, Vivy pioneered dUCk, a headscarf brand under FashionValet made for modern Muslim women that saw a recent collaboration with HRH Princess Sarah of Brunei. Vivy also stars in her reality TV series aired on Astro, Love Vivy, which aims to document the real people, tatler_tatler_stories and values behind FashionValet.
“Today, we remind ourselves that the livelihoods of not just 150 employees are under us but also local brands who rely on us as their main source of income,” Fadza summed up.
Added Vivy, “FashionValet is bigger than just Fadza and me. There’s our team as well as the 500 brands under us. I feel so empowered to work everyday.”
For this feature, Malaysia Tatler dropped by the Fashion Valet headquarters and inadvertently became features of our own on Episode 11 of Vivy's reality TV series: 'Love, Vivy'. Watch the full episode below:
To read the rest of the feature, pick up a copy of our May 2017 issue out at newsstands, or click here to purchase the digital copy of the magazine.
Photography: Aaron Lee of Lenswork
Styling: Andrea Kee
Makeup: Irena Adam using Decorté
Headscarf stylist: Hanry Hamid
'Love, Vivy' episode: CelebrateTV