Yet, in a hall somewhere in Kampung Baru, a large crowd of mostly women donning headscarves, has gathered. From their excited murmurings, it is clear they are waiting for something, or rather, someone special to appear.

And when she does, the hall is filled with shrill screams of excitement.

Turns out that being one of Malaysia’s biggest success stories has garnered fashion icon Vivy Sofinas Yusof a rather substantial fan base.

Indeed, she tends to be the darling of local fashionistas, with her every appearance on the red carpet highly anticipated. Given her inspiring rise to prominence, it comes as little surprise that many local women look up to her.

Vivy is the founder of the online retail empire FashionValet as well as the name behind headscarf brand, dUCk.

Needless to say, her list of accomplishments is long, and she has recently added “writer” to that list, launching her biography titled, “The First Decade: My Journey from Blogger to Entrepreneur.”

Speaking at the official launch of her book, she said that it took her over a year to chronicle the events of the first ten years of her fashion career. “It still shocks me that I wrote a book! It was always on my bucket list, but still.”

Vivy now also has the honour of being the first Malaysian woman entrepreneur to have their biography published by Penguin Books.

Thus, the esteemed publisher as well as her parents were among those she expressed her profound gratitude to.

Despite her success, Vivy seemed down to earth and admitted to being “nervous” about the upcoming Q&A session.

“Growing up, I was always very ambitious. I always asked myself, ‘What more can I do?’”

Perhaps she was fated to become an entrepreneur as even when in school, she was selling knick knacks to her schoolmates.

Her father too encouraged her ambition. “My dad has always pushed me to do better,” she said, adding that this greatly boosted her self-confidence.

However, when she launched her fashion blog, today called Proudduck, she blogged anonymously so her father wouldn’t know that his daughter, whom he had sent to study law in the United Kingdom, was more into fashion.

Funnily enough, it was her husband, Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, who encouraged her to make that fateful jump into the fashion industry.

It was not easy, she said. “When you first jump in, you’re a bit more naïve. Over the years, you will learn it’s not that easy.”

Indeed, the first few years were no cakewalk and Vivy made her fair share of mistakes. “Sometimes, what I believed in so much didn’t work out.”

She attributed her eventual success to her willingness to adapt to the ever changing landscape of the industry. “You have to be comfortable with change. After all, changes happen all the time.”

Having a strong support system helped, she said, adding that she and her husband were a “yin-yang” team of sorts.

“Life is a constant work in progress and you have to depend on each other.” She admitted to being the more anxious of the two and was grateful her husband was quietly confident.

Today FashionValet is a strong local brand but one that requires continued support to thrive and prosper.

Vivy said it was important that she use her success story to influence others and to help elevate women in Malaysia and beyond.

“My job has let me meet so many amazing women from all around the world. I love that we are coming out to the world with our skills.”

With her biography now out, can fans expect another book anytime soon? Apparently not, she said, as she plans on expanding her fashion business beyond Malaysia.

So, who will best benefit from reading her book? “For anyone who has dreams and wishes to chase them, this book is for them.”

‘The First Decade: My Journey from Blogger to Entrepreneur’ is available at all major bookstores.