Her Royal Highness Princess Amal Rakiah with Vivy Yusof, co-founder of FashionValet recently at the FV pop-up store at The Empire Hotel & Country Club

Another photo opp with the Malaysian designers

I’m such a noob when it comes to fashion stuff. After being aware of Zalora and KLIHF, I only knew of FashionValet’s existence and never realised how big Fashion Valet is until recently. They are humungous to begin with.

You can tell how success a fashion portal is when it crashes from time to time (whenever they have new releases of their scarfs).

Apparently FV is quite popular here in Brunei and according to Vivy Yusof, co-founder of FashionValet, the market share for Brunei spenders are 15% and increasing. Hence, it’s such a timely manner for FV to make their presence felt physically in Brunei. Vivy wanted Bruneians to have a real feel rather than relying on virtual imagery on the few hundred collections under FashionValet.

Vivy was very overwhelmed with the responses from the public as hundreds flocked in to make purchases from the 30 designers where Vivy selected to bring to Brunei. The weekly event has been more than a success and Vivy vows to learn from their first showcase in Brunei held at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. This is because more than 60% of their inventory was bought in the first two days and thanks to the special discounts given to Standard Chartered Bank customers last weekend and also to the top FV spenders from Brunei.

I had the privilege to be invited by the team from FV for a Sungkai dinner last weekend and also interviewing the co-founder herself Vivy Yusof. Just one word to describe her – humble 😀 and I could see how dedicated she is in taking care of her fans as she continuously accepted photo requests from the incoming guests. I salute you Vivy for your constant high energy and being so accommodating at the same time.

Brands available for purchase at the event included Alia B, Syomirizwa Gupta, nh by Nurita Harity, emel by Melinda Looi, Poplook Premium and Mimpikita.

This is the biggest Raya campaign FV has worked on thus far. It is also one of the most exciting and rewarding times for FV and its customers as the Raya festivities inches closer.

The FV pop-up store will be at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom of The Empire Hotel & Country Club until June 17, open from 10am to 10pm. I believe by now there won’t be much choices due to the great responses from the public. Sometimes I wonder if the economic downturn has no effect on FV loyal customers.

Team FashionValet posing for the camera. Vivy and her husband are truly thankful to the team for helping them out in this journey

Familiar faces that are big fans of FashionValet

 

Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin bin Abdullah, BIBD Chairman and Minister of Development handing out donation accompanied by Yang Mulia Mr. Mubashar Khokhar, BIBD Managing Director

BIBD today continued its commitment towards elevating the welfare of under privileged families in Brunei with donations towards more than five thousands recipients from all four districts.

BIBD also handed out special prizes to eleven orphaned students in recognition for their dedication to excelling in their education through the “Skim Hadiah Galakkan Pelajar-Pelajar Yatim Cermelang 2015”.

This was presented by Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin bin Abdullah, BIBD Chairman and Minister of Development, who was accompanied by BIBD Managing Director Yang Mulia Mr. Mubashar Khokhar.

The donations were handed out together at a ceremony held at the International Convention Centre in partnership with the Community Development Department (JAPEM), Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

“As a responsible corporate citizen, BIBD’s core values is always within supporting our society,” said Mr. Mubashar Khokhar, BIBD Managing Director. “BIBD is dedicated to support the Brunei Government and the country’s initiative in helping communities to develop and move forward towards achieving Wawasan Brunei 2035.”

In keeping up with the spirit of Ramadhan, the cooperation with JAPEM is part of BIBD’s multi-platform efforts in providing support to the Brunei community, which includes BIBD’s annual Sirah Amal programme and the on-going development of its BIBD Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future (ALAF) programme.

 

Click image to enlarge

You can check out the mock condo at Jalan Aman. Contact 717 5612 for appointment

I’ve heard of the condos along Jalan Aman and only yesterday I had the privilege to wonder around the mock condo of Aman Hills Residence which is slated to be completed in 2017. This could be the first where the developers are building both a condominium and a shopping mall under one umbrella.

As mentioned by Feeona Abdullah, sales representative of Proland REalty, some of the 60 units of the condominium have been taken and of course, there are still units available if any of you are interested. I kinda love the concept of the condo at Aman Hills Residence and anyone who stays here will appreciate the facilities it provides and also the convenience of shopping outlets in the coming years.

The mock condo has a four bedroom (one master bedroom), a jointed living room and dining area with a dry and wet kitchen area. The mock condo doesn’t included the furniture and other electrical appliances such as refrigerator and air condition. However, upon request, these items can be included with a different price range for a fully furnished condo.

The long spacious area with a size of 2,152 sq ft

The TV area. As mentioned, the mock condo just showcasing how it looks like with furniture. The prices stated are all unfurnished.

The master bedroom at the very end with a bathroom attached

As I mentioned earlier, there will be shop houses (two storeys), ice skating rink, bowling alley and Do-It-Yourself Hardware Store and not forgetting the influx of franchise brand in the food & beverage industry.

If you refer to the prices, the Aman Hills Residence offers different price range as low as BND 288K to BND 428K (unfurnished). Another gimmick offered by the developers are that once you buy the property, you can also earn rental with a 5% guaranteed rental returns per year for five years as it will be fully managed by Proland Realty. So you can say it’s a hassle-free investment with good returns.

For viewing of The Aman Hills Residence, you can contact 717 5612 for appointment and she will be more than happy to assist you.

The wet kitchen

One of the smaller rooms in the 4 bedroom condo

The pantry/dry kitchen area

The bathroom/toilet

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

 

The $1 sale that attracted the crowd recently. More to come.

One of the popular materials for Baju Melayu using Moroccan

The Crazy Sales are back and it will come back from time to time during the period of Ramadhan. Yes, Galleria YMRM are always great in doing awesome promotion and sales. Just recently last Monday, they brought back the $1 sale for the benefit of the regular customers.

Ramesh Jiwatram Bhawnani, the founder of Galleria YMRM, expressed his sincerity in holding such sales and promotion and it was a gesture of giving back to the community after the many years of support they have given to the establishment. It was also another way for the local spenders to support local retailers and help to improve the local economy.

Despite the turbulent economy, Ramesh was surprised with the recent growth in sales at YMRM. The reason being is that the locals and even expats know what they are paying for – affordable and still of good quality. YMRM has become a household name for offering such great offers and not compromising on the quality. Even members of the Royal Families frequent to buy materials for baju melayu and baju kurung.

So do watch out this space or on my social media updates on their next promotion or crazy sales. There will be a few, leading to the Hari Raya season.

Nice lightings at YMRM

A YMRM staff busy over the counter

The nicely woven senjang also available at YMRM – ranging from $9.90 to $299

I will need to get me one of those soon

Nice collection of lace for the ladies

More choices for the baju melayu collection

Genuine senjang from BHS

 

FashionValet will be in Brunei soon. The biggest festive season is approaching! Every year, there will be an amazing FashionValet (also known affectionately as FV) campaign for the Muslim celebration, Hari Raya Aidilfitri. It’s the peak period for the internationally known e-commerce giant, as FV is popularly known to carry the hottest and biggest local and Southeast Asian brands and their Raya collections.

Having just completed a 4-day fashion show with Andrews Models called Gaya Koleksi Raya (GKR) 2016 recently, now FV is going cross-country to host exclusive tea parties. The Singapore, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur tea parties have come and gone with much success, now FV is looking forward to Brunei next! These private events are to cater to the media and top customers and influencers in that specific region and to build a closer relationship with them. FV wants to involve themselves in more onground events especially in these countries to solidify their presence.

Brunei’s first pop-up store will open between the 11th and 17th of June at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom at The Empire Hotel & Country Club from 10am to 10pm. We hope to cater to their many loyal customers and supporters in Brunei. Standard Chartered is their official bank partner in Brunei. Their customers will be the first to preview and purchase FV’s Raya collection and they’ll also enjoy a 10% discount for online and offline purchases on the 11th of June only. It’s good to be a Standard Chartered cardholder in this case!

Alia Bastamam will be in Brunei as part of the FashionValet campaign. Click image to see their collections.

Rizman Ruzaini will be in town as well. Click image to see their collection.

On the other hand, Brunei’s private tea party will be held at the same venue on 12th of June during the fasting month as a Sungkai (or buka puasa) affair where FV will be catering to VIP customers, FV’s fashion designers, social media influencers and the media. The best part is, guests will enjoy a special 10% discount off FV’s Raya collection, which will be displayed. Guests are able to secure their favourite outfit which were showcased on the runway at GKR 2016 in early May. Brands part of FV’s exclusive Raya collection available for purchase at the Sungkai event are Alia B., Syomirizwa Gupta, nh by Nurita Harith, emel by Melinda Looi, Poplook Premium, Mimpikita and many more!

FV’s Official Loyalty Partner is Enrich by Malaysia Airlines. Apart from flight sponsorships, FV and Enrich will be working together very closely to bring customers an incredible deal. More information will be released in due time, but safe to say, it will be an exciting one! On another note, FV is currently working on their expansion programme whereby fulfilment centres have already been set up in both Jakarta and Singapore. On top of that, FV just opened their first physical store along Orchard Road in Singapore at 313@Somerset and so far has been very well received by locals! Meanwhile in Jakarta, a pop-up store is now running at North Sky Bridge, Level 2 at Pondok Indah Mall from the 31st of May till 12th of June 2016. These physical stores will enable customers to enjoy a more tangible shopping experience with FV – being able to touch and feel the fabrics and admire intricate detailing. It also helps with future online purchases at www.fashionvalet.com

This will be the biggest Raya campaign FV has worked on so far and is one of the most exciting and rewarding times for everyone at FV and their customers as the hustle and bustle of the celebrations creep in and the atmosphere builds as the month of Syawal approaches. The icing on the cake was when FV’s first billboard ad was erected in the beginning of April on Federal Highway. Look out for it! What with the new reality TV show on Astro Ria called ‘Love, Vivy’ already airing, this is definitely a time where audiences will want to keep their eyes glued to FV’s every move.

Rizman Ruzaini latest collection

A collection from nh by Nurita Harith

Latest collection from Syomirizwa Gupta