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Vivy Yusof

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Malaysian entrepreneur

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Yusof is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Vivy Sofinas.
Yang Berbahagia DatinVivy Yusof
Vivy in March 2022
BornVivy Sofinas binti Yusof
(1987-12-11) 11 December 1987 (age 37)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
Alma materLondon School of Economics, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)Co-founder of FashionValet and The dUCk Group
Spouse Dato' Fadzaruddin Shah Anuar ​ ​(m. 2012)​
Children4

Vivy Sofinas Yusof (born 11 December 1987) is a Malaysian entrepreneur, social media influencer, and the co-founder of the fashion e-commerce platform FashionValet and lifestyle brand The dUCk Group. She has been included in lists such as Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia and has a significant following on social media. Her work spans entrepreneurship, digital media, and fashion. Vivy is a graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE).

Career

Founding of FashionValet

Vivy Yusof served as the Chief Creative Officer at FashionValet, a fashion e-commerce company she co-founded with her husband, Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, in 2010 at the age of 23. FashionValet has grown to become a significant enterprise with 150 employees and partnerships with over 500 fashion brands. The company operates offices and warehouses in Malaysia, Jakarta, and Singapore, and ships products globally.

Vivy is known for her blog, Proudduck, which receives approximately 250,000 monthly visits. She also has a substantial social media presence, with over a million followers on Instagram.

In 2017, Vivy Yusof expanded her online activity by launching a YouTube channel, where she shares lifestyle content and personal insights. She frequently participates in fashion events across Southeast Asia and is recognized as a fashion commentator and social media influencer. She has also served as a judge for AirAsia’s Runway Ready Designer Search for two consecutive years, participating in a panel that seeks emerging fashion designers throughout Southeast Asia.

Social media persona

Vivy Yusof has utilized social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube to expand her personal brand and connect with a wider audience. Research indicates that her deliberate use of authenticity and emotional storytelling helps create an aspirational yet relatable public image. Through posts that showcase her dual roles as an entrepreneur and a mother, she engages her followers and strengthens the alignment between her personal identity and the values of her businesses, FashionValet and The dUCk Group.

A linguistic analysis of her social media posts identified humblebragging, a strategy blending modesty with self-promotion, as a common feature. The study categorized her humblebrags into complaint-based and humility-based forms, noting that these strategies helped present her achievements while maintaining relatability with her audience. Such practices reflect a broader trend among social media influencers in shaping public perception through curated content.

Entrepreneurial impact

In 2017, Vivy and her husband were selected to join Endeavor, an international organization that supports high-impact entrepreneurs through mentorship and strategic guidance.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vivy and her husband organized three fundraising initiatives to support Malaysian frontliners. Collectively, these efforts raised over RM 2.1 million. They also launched the FV Bazaar, an initiative designed to help food and beverage vendors promote their services during the pandemic. The platform attracted approximately 4,500 vendors.

Memoir

In December 2022, Vivy Yusof published her memoir, The First Decade: My Journey from Blogger to Entrepreneur, through Penguin Random House SEA.

Television

In 2012, Vivy and Fadzarudin attained first place on Make The Pitch, a reality television show where the duo won RM1 million investment by MyEG Services Bhd, for a 30% stake in the company. Vivy later starred in Astro Ria's reality television series, Love, Vivy.

Love, Vivy revolves around the life of one of Malaysia's leading faces in fashion – juggling her work, keeping on top of their leading online retail empire FashionValet and her scarf brand, dUCk, as well as her family duties as daughter, wife, and mother to four children's; Daniel Azim Shah, Mariam Iman Shah, Sarah Ilham Shah and Idris Ali Shah.

On 21 February 2017, the second season of Love, Vivy was aired on Astro Ria.

2024 Khazanah-FashionValet investment controversy

In October 2024, Vivy Yusof was involved in a financial controversy following the disclosure that Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) had incurred significant losses from their investment in FashionValet, the e-commerce platform she co-founded. Khazanah and PNB, which had invested a combined RM47 million in FashionValet in 2018, sold their stakes in 2023 for RM3.1 million, resulting in a loss of RM43.9 million.

In response to the public criticism following this disclosure, Vivy and her husband, Dato' Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, issued a joint statement accepting responsibility for FashionValet’s financial difficulties. They acknowledged that their aggressive expansion strategy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, had placed the company under significant financial strain. Vivy further explained that while FashionValet had initially shown promise, the unforeseen challenges of the pandemic severely impacted their ability to maintain operations as planned.

On 5 December 2024, Vivy Yusof and her husband were charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court under Section 409 of the Penal Code for alleged criminal breach of trust involving RM8 million, which was purportedly transferred from FashionValet's bank account to 30 Maple Sdn Bhd without the approval of the company’s board of directors. The alleged offence took place six years earlier. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry a potential sentence of two to 20 years' imprisonment, whipping, and a fine. The case was scheduled for mention on 22 January 2025.

Bibliography

Awards and accolades

Vivy's awards and achievements include:

  • Entrepreneur Par Excellence by Malaysia Tatler Ball Awards, 2019
  • YouTube Silver Play Button Award, 2019
  • Top 40 Under 40 by Prestige Malaysia, 2018
  • Generation T by Tatler Malaysia, 2018
  • Named “Women Icon of Malaysia” by the Ministry of Women, presented by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, 2018
  • Young Global Leaders List by the World Economic Forum, 2018
  • Vivy was made a case study in Malaysia's STPM national examination, 2018
  • Asia's Top 50 Rising Tech Stars by Tatler Malaysia, 2017
  • Generation T by Tatler Malaysia, 2017
  • Member of Blue Ocean Corporate Council, an NBOS initiative led by Tan Sri Dato' Sri Abdul Wahid bin Omar, 2017
  • Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list, 2017
  • Selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur, 2017
  • Amazing Woman 2017 List by Women's Weekly, 2017
  • Young Entrepreneur Award at the ASEAN@15 Achievement Awards, 2017
  • Anugerah Instafamous Inspirasi, Hurr.TV, 2017
  • Social Media Influencer Award, InTrend Malaysia, 2017
  • Young Entrepreneur Award recipient, presented by the Queen of Malaysia at Tribute to Women's Award, 2016

Vivy has also appear in covers of several high-profile magazines in Malaysia, including HerWorld, Prestige, and Tatler. She was also named a Friend of Louis Vuitton, becoming the first hijabi woman to be honored with the title.

References

  1. Ting, Henry (5 April 2016). "Vivy Sofinas Yusof, Co-Founder of FashionValet - Asian Entrepreneur". Asian Entrepreneur. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  2. "FASHIONVALET | Shop Asia's biggest designer brands online | Shop women's clothes, shoes, bags & accessories | FashionValet". www.fashionvalet.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  3. "Venture: Fashion Valet's ambitions will never be just about e-commerce". The Edge Markets. 21 April 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  4. "Vivy Yusof". YouTube. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  5. "DFW Insider Info - Digital Fashion Week 2016". Digital Fashion Week 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  6. "AirAsia expands fashion designer search 2017 to all 10 ASEAN countries". 9 February 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  7. Md Saad, Nor Hasliza; Yaacob, Zulnaidi (2021). "Building a Personal Brand as a CEO: A Case Study of Vivy Yusof, the Co-Founder of FashionValet and the dUCk Group". SAGE Open. 11 (3): 1–10. doi:10.1177/21582440211030274. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  8. Syed Mohd. Muhiddin, Sharifah Nurul Afifah; Abdul Latif, Lilisuriani (December 2021). "An Analysis of Vivy Yusof's Humblebragging Language on Social Media". International Young Scholars Journal of Languages. 4 (2). International Islamic University Malaysia: 19–28. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  9. "Vivy Yusof - Endeavor". Endeavor. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  10. "About - Endeavor". Endeavor. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  11. Claudia Khaw (19 January 2023). "We read Vivy Yusof's new book chronicling her journey as an entrepreneur. Should you?". Vulcan Post. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  12. "FashionValet more than makes the grade on Make The Pitch". Digital News Asia. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  13. fashionvalet (11 April 2016), Introducing Love, Vivy, retrieved 11 January 2017
  14. "Reality show on 'mompreneur' Vivy Yusof to air on Astro RIA". 7 April 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  15. Amin, Luqman (29 October 2024). "Khazanah, PNB sold their RM47 mil stakes in FashionValet for just RM3.1 mil — MOF". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  16. Zainul, Emir (1 November 2024). "Investment in FashionValet was to support 'high potential Bumiputera company', say PNB and Khazanah". The Edge Malaysia. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  17. Jalil, Asila (1 November 2024). "Khazanah "responsibly exited" FashionValet in late 2023". New Straits Times. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  18. Nurbaiti Hamdan; Teh Athira Yusof (5 December 2024). "FashionValet founders plead not guilty to RM8mil CBT charge". The Star. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  19. "Her World Malaysia". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  20. "5 Key Quotes from Vivy Yusof". Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  21. "Of Chemistry And Affection: Vivy Yusof And Fadza Anuar on Building Their Empire, FashionValet". Malaysia Tatler. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  22. "A tale of two Vs". NST Online. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2017.

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