All hail the home squad
#IAMHOMEGROWN BRINGS TOGETHER 60 LOCAL PERSONALITIES
FIRST, there were the fashion bloggers. When the likes of Bryanboy and Tavi Gevinson sat on the front row of fashion shows — a spot once reserved for editors and fashion directors — the comments on their eligibility to sit where they sat were scathing.
But there was no stopping the digital sphere and the story-telling that comes out of it. When Instagram came along, everyone sharpened their photography skills, mastered the use of filters and curate a collage of photos to show his and her envy-inducing lives.
The world follows, to a point that these people develop their own fan base who would try the skincare they use, buy the clothes they wear and eat at restaurants they dine in.
Welcome to the world of influencers, a disruptive technology that has edged traditional media to the sideline and has produced its own line of celebrities.
Those in the old media — myself included — wince at the mere mention of influencers. Who do they influence when you can “buy” Instagram followers? And if I follow you, does that mean I am influenced by you?
Then, someone came up with the term KOL — key opinion leader — which makes Instagram stars sound more serious, even academic in their pursuit.
My first encounter with the term KOL was years ago, when I went for a medical seminar. The KOLs were professors and medical specialists, with decades of experience.
So where is the similarity?
SIXTY FOR SIXTY
But like it or loathe it, one cannot but acknowledge the power of an Instagram star and in her latest project (I’d call it a coup), FashionValet co-founder Vivy Sofinas Yusof, 29, has shown that she is one of, if not the most influential of influencers.
Her @vivyyusof Instagram account has 1.2 million followers, fewer than some other celebrities but her influence is astounding.
To celebrate the 60th year of Independence, Vivy mobilised 60 personalities, from politicians of the opposite spectrum, singers and actors to corporate leaders and entrepreneurs like herself to come together to show their love for this country.
The hashtag #IAmHomeGrown, plastered on the T-shirts they all wore for the photo shoot is a beautiful reminder that we should be proud to be local.
Vivy and her husband, Fadzarudin Shah Anuar, who is the chief executive of FashionValet are fiercely proud of their roots.
She studied law in London, and he, aeronautical engineering, but it is in Kuala Lumpur that they started their business from a small office space in Bukit Damansara.
NOTABLE NAMES
The personalities who participated in the campaign included AirAsia Berhad chief executive officer Aireen Omar, model Tengku Azura Tengku Awang, singer Resh, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and businesswoman Kwan Swee Lian, who founded the popular restaurant Madam Kwan.
Here, some of them share their thoughts on home, Malaysia and what the country needs.