Datin Vivy Yusof, fashion icon, businesswoman and one of Malaysia’s most recognisable public figures, possesses an effortless beauty and charisma about her, but that’s not all that catches the eye as we prep for our cover shoot.
It’s a book she grasps tightly in one hand, while in the other, she carries several outfit options for our shoot.
Why would she need a book at our shoot, you may ask, but as voracious readers know full well, it’s on the off-chance one has the opportunity to catch up on reading, even if it’s just a few chapters.
The witty, warm and polished co-founder of FashionValet and The dUCk Group is halfway through Behind The Arches by John F. Love, and books, it appears, are a big deal for this entrepreneur.
One wonders how a busy businesswoman and mother-of-three, avid Instagrammer, prolific blogger and YouTuber – who also cooks meals for her family – finds time to read, but Vivy says personal time is important.
“I make it a point to allocate some time for myself every day. I have things that I enjoy doing – reading is a big part of my ‘me’ time, ” quips the 33-year-old. “I even do YouTube book reviews and I read an average of five books a month, ” adds Vivy, who is currently in the process of writing a book about her first decade of being an entrepreneur.
It’s hard to imagine another Malaysian public figure commanding the influence Vivy does – without fail, almost every new scarf launch sets off long queues snaking out of their dUCk outlets, while online, battles for coveted limited editions are so fierce they are sold out within minutes.
Her entrepreneurial prowess and her trendsetting Hijab style have garnered attention locally and abroad, gaining recognition in Forbes Asia’s Top 30 under 30 list, as well as in features on The New York Times and the BBC.
This London School of Economics law graduate set up FashionValet with husband Datuk Fadzarudin Shah Anuar in 2010, and they have given hundreds of local brands a platform (both online and in store) to sell their products.
The dUCk Group, which is best known for their premium headscarves, was launched in 2014, and in 2018, their latest venture, Lilit, was introduced in hopes of becoming the “Uniqlo” of modest fashion.
Raya on her mind
At the moment, Vivy and her team are focusing on the Raya season, which they have been planning for since last Ramadan.
“I’ve been ready for Ramadan since last Ramadan, because product planning takes a year in advance. Concepts, prints, strategies, the works. It’s always Raya in my brain, ” laughs Vivy.
"For Raya, Lilit has a unique collaboration with.... Farm Fresh!" says Vivy. "They shot the campaign on a farm with a lot of cows and it was so unique I just loved it. Together, Lilit and FarmFresh came up with a Giving Eid CSR campaign to give away baju raya and Kurma milk drinks to thousands of the less fortunate, so I hope customers will support the cause."
An extensive Raya collection will delight fans of dUCk, and it cuts across many product categories – scarves, bags, prayerwear, accessories and ready-to-wear.
"This year will see dUCk ready-to-wear rolling out every month and I’m excited to see that category grow. Prints is a specialty at dUCk and I customers can expect a gorgeous print with a rattan theme this year softened by the beauty of bougainvillea flowers."
Lately, Vivy finds she has had more time to think about this season on a personal level.
“Because I’m so consumed with Raya on the work side, I never used to pay a lot of attention on the personal side. That changed completely last Ramadan, we all worked from home, there were no prayers at the mosque, there was no time wasted on travel, so we had a lot more time, ” she recalls.
“I spent that time learning the Quran and it was the first time Fadza and I didn’t miss a single tarawih prayer. I felt so fulfilled and it was a feeling I can’t really describe. I hope this year to get the same feeling again. I want to enter the holy month with an open heart to learn and improve myself, emotionally and spiritually.”
For Vivy and Fadza, Raya is about family, and they always look forward to visiting both sides of the family.
“It is a time where we get to be with our immediate and extended family, catching up and just spending quality time together. But I guess I really miss Raya in the kampung when my grandparents were still alive – Raya in the city is okay, but nothing really beats Raya in the kampung to truly feel the festive mood, ” she says.
From choosing Raya ensemble theme colours to making a power point slide of everyone’s outfits (including her parents, sisters-in-law and nephews), to fabric-hunting and comparing different shades to find the perfect match, Vivy’s commitment to matching outfits is impressive.
“I will go fabric-hunting to get the men’s baju raya fabric while lugging around the women’s clothes to make sure they match 100%. Even a few shades difference irks me!”
However, the best part about Raya for her is having a clean slate.
“Islam gives us a festivity but prepares us for a month before to self-reflect, cleanse our hearts, learn patience and sacrifice. By the time it’s Raya, we come with full hearts, of wanting to be better people. We want to ask for forgiveness, strengthen bonds, make amends, and we feel pumped to want a better start.”
“We are encouraged to carry out actions of generosity and to give back to those who are less fortunate than us. This is a value that both Fadza and I hold dear and it’s what we teach our kids.”
Using their influence for good
The principle of giving back has also been incorporated into their businesses.
An initiative to help those struggling during the pandemic last year, FV Bazaar, where businesses are given free exposure to advertise their products on FV, will be making a comeback this year.
An initiative to help those struggling during the pandemic last year, FV Bazaar, where businesses are given free exposure to advertise their products on FV, will be making a comeback this year.
“FV doesn’t take a cut from the vendors, it’s completely for free. We wanted to share the traffic coming in to FV daily with them and this year we’ll be extending the listing to include fashion vendors, ” explains Vivy.
Last year, she held several fundraising initiatives, including partnering with the IMAM Response and Relief Team and Moda (Malaysian Official Designers’ Association).
“Initially we only aimed to raise RM300,000 but we were taken by complete surprise by the overwhelming support. We eventually managed to raise over RM2 million for the country’s frontline workers during the pandemic, and this was all from the power of social media. The money raised has helped hundreds of medical institutions from hospitals to clinics all over the country, and it was the highlight of my 2020, ” relates Vivy.
Adapting to survive and lessons learned
As a fashion business, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic hit FV hard, but Vivy is grateful and proud that they have not had to explore retrenchments and salary cuts.
During the peak of the pandemic, Vivy and Fadza had sleepless nights thinking about keeping the business afloat, which really put their leadership to the test.
“I feel like 2020 forced all leaders to step up and weather the storm, and I’m no exclusion to that test, ” she relates. “We had a thorough look at the business and it gave us a chance to improve and fix what needed to be fixed. What really kept us up (during those sleepless nights) was thinking about our team. To make sure their livelihoods have longevity and they don’t have to worry about financial stability.”
Throughout the year, they kept the team in the loop, giving everyone constant updates on the company’s financial situation and the sales targets they would need to hit to stay afloat, while putting a hiatus on certain projects and negotiating payment terms with suppliers.
“Staying at home also meant that people needed different things, so we adapted with new product offerings such as more loungewear, more home and living items, more masks and sanitisers, etc. We also had to work from home – we had challenges in the beginning, but I’m pleasantly surprised things can get done pretty well when there’s more flexibility in working arrangements. This pandemic has taught us that it’s important for businesses to be adaptable and flexible to situations.”
Thankfully, having started out as an e-commerce store with 70% of their business already being generated online, Vivy’s companies were already strong in the game.
On the personal front, however, Vivy says it was a different story altogether.
“It was all a blur in the beginning because every area of my life was within the four walls of my room, ” she recalls. “Suddenly, home is the office, home is also the school, home is the studio, home is also the home, home is everything.”
“Having the stress of worrying about the business, as well as setting up kids’ online classes, cooking every meal in between meetings, and managing the guilt of working while seeing your kids cry in front of you – it was overwhelming, ” she shares.
“And this is for everyone, to be honest. The ones with a lot of dependents felt guilty and overwhelmed, and the ones who lived alone felt lonely and scared. Everyone was trying to do their best to manage and I did have some team members admit they feel like they’re going into depression. So as leaders, we were trying our best to cheer the team on while going through our own challenges.”
As a mother, the pandemic gave her a chance to spend more time with the kids, and the husband-and-wife team in the home and at the office are only growing stronger together.
“I think it’s very important to have a healthy friendship with your spouse. We admittedly don’t have a line between work and non-work – it’s all intertwined in our lives, especially because we’re entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs work 24/7.
“We have loads of date nights and we do a lot of things together from discovering new cafes, watching TV, enjoying late night Maggi treats, going on walks – I’m living my best life with him and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
At 33, her competitive streak is one to be reckoned with, as she is constantly striving to be better.
“I’m very competitive. Not just with others, but with myself too. For me, it’s the need to always want to do better, be better and be number one. I want to build a billion-dollar business, and I will get there.
“I want to build many inspiring brands and I want to create jobs for the youth. Once you have this drive, you’ll wake up every day wanting to get closer to your goals, and you won’t need any other motivation, ” she quips.
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