Business & Leadership

Datin Vivy Yusof

Fashion Entrepreneur & Co-founder of Fashion Valet & dUCk Group

Datin Vivy Yusof has always been an entrepreneur, even when she was just a child. “When I was in school, I’d make friendship bands and take orders from friends. I’d force my friends to purchase them” she says with a laugh. Resilient and determined, the entrepreneurial spirit is almost second nature to the co-founder of FashionValet and dUCk Group. “I think I’ve always been stubborn. I’m the youngest child, super rebellious, and I’ve always had the entrepreneurial spirit.” 

Since its establishment in 2010, FashionValet has become a multi-million dollar company. With offices set up in Malaysia and Singapore, FashionValet proudly carries home-grown brands and designs from across Southeast Asia, serving as a key platform for up-and-coming designers from these countries. 

Her reputation as Malaysia’s top fashionpreneur has long been solidified, not an easy feat considering the many glass ceilings she’s had to break. A law graduate from the London School of Economics, Vivy put her passion for writing to use while at LSE, setting up her blog at proudduck.com, where she still blogs even after 10 years. During a stint at her father’s property development company the Proven Group, Vivy’s entrepreneurial spirit prompted her to start a business of her own with her then boyfriend, who would become her husband. And the rest is history.

I’d love for all women to get out of their comfort zones, and not make excuses for themselves.

Datin Vivy Yusof

Today, Vivy attributes much of FashionValet’s success to her husband, Datuk Fadza Anuar, whom she co-found the company with. “I don’t plan, I don’t think about the cons of a decision, I jump in. That could be a very bad thing. I’m very stubborn and impatient. Thankfully, my partner isn’t. He’s very careful, he plans, and he maps out the strategy. So he balances me out.” 

When asked about the rising trend of entrepreneurship, the savvy fashionpreneur thinks it’s important not to succumb to pressure. “I actually think that you shouldn’t succumb to pressure. I remember there was a time when everyone wanted to start their own brand, when everyone wanted to be an entrepreneur.” 

Vivy states that being an entrepreneur isn’t necessarily something that everyone should strive for. “I don’t like to tell people that they should be an entrepreneur. Because some people are not meant to be entrepreneurs, they are meant to be something else. We all have different roles and different skillsets in life. Maybe you have what it takes to be someone that’s good in something that an entrepreneur isn’t good at.” 

When asked about the increasing opportunities for women in the work force, Vivy thinks that it is incredibly liberating that women are finally getting their shot, while also reminding us not to take the wrong message from it. “I think it’s great that more recognition has been given to women—not to be more superior to anyone, but more opportunities.” The fashion mogul also thinks that it’s essential that both men and women are treated equally. “Men and women can have the same opportunities, and I think that’s great. I’d love for all women to get out of their comfort zones, and not make excuses for themselves.” 

And to put aside a hard-fought law degree to pursue one’s passion requires bravery of the grandest scale, but Vivy has set the perfect example for women and men alike – that as long as you have the passion for it, by all means go for broke and chase your dreams. 

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