1. Who is Zulvanny?
I’m a 24-year-old fashion stylist based in Malaysia.

2. How does a typical day in life look like to you?
Everyday is a different routine for me since I’m currently doing freelance. Most of the time, I start my day by waking up around 8 am and make myself a cup of green tea while checking my emails. In the afternoon, I would go about with my meetings, loans/returns, fittings, etc. Some days, I will be on set. This could take up all day. A typical shoot lasts about 8-10 hours, some can even reach up to 18-24 hours ((this is mostly video shooting!).

3. Can you describe your personal style to us?
- My personal style is quite androgynous. Most of the time you would see me in hoodie, blazers or suit jacket, dad’s trousers, jeans and training pants! haha. I barely wear skirts or dresses (only on certain days when I feel abit feminine or where there;s a special occassions). However, I try to balance the tomboy side by accessorising. With shoes, I tend to go with sneakers and boots. I’m a sucker for boots!

4. What’s your dream project, person or brand to work with?
My dream project is to style an artist or a band and go on a world tour with them! One of my very first project when I just started styling was working with Little Mix’s stylist team. So from the beginning I have been exposed to the important of styling and image making for an artist. This is also the reason why I enjoy it more than Editorial styling. Although, the chance for me to do that in Malaysia is quite slim, I’m making it a goal for me to at least make people realize the importance of stylist and image making. In terms of a person and brand, it’s hard for me to choose one! I look up to many people and brands but I have to choose, I’d be dying to style GDragon!

5. Where do you find your inspirations?
Many. I watch a lot of fashion documentaries and runways. Other than that, I watch a lot of music and concerts videos of my favourite artists and other artists that i find quite interesting in terms of their music and style. As a stylist, Instagram is also source of inspirations for me as big brands, established stylists and artists constantly update their work there. I also like to soak up inspirations when I travel.

6. When did you first know that you wanted to be a fashion stylist? Do you have any advice for aspiring stylist out there?

Back then when I was preparing for Med School. I spent most of my time studying and when I have free time, I tent to go on Youtube and watched concert videos. Having to watch many of that, I started to get obsessed with the artists’ stage costume and its impact on the their image and performances. From there I started to research more about it. Growing up I have no sense of fashion at all but as i grow older I think it began to naturally develop in me. I was the only one
who always dressed up in the class! hahaha. 

My advice for aspiring stylist out there: Work hard and Assist, assist, assist. Having passion for fashion is not enough, you have to work hard for it. It’s not all about glitz and glam. There are many stylists out there who want to make it in the industry too, so you have to work extra harder. Also,when you first starting out, say YES to every opportunity that comes to you. This shows how bad you want it, even if it means skipping hang out sessions with friends. You will
learn many things from assisting your mentor and different projects. Having to work on different projects will eventually help you realize which area of styling you’re good at and you like more.

7. What makes you excited about your work?
Every project is different, so they would have their own surprises and memories to remember. It’s always exciting to find out what kind of project or who am I gonna work with next. Through my job, I get to work with people whom I only see on tv or the internet, and it still feels surreal some time that I got a chance to work with them. My job also allows me to travel places and work with different people and brands. Having the chance to preview a collection before anyone else is also very exciting for me as a stylist.

However, In the end of the day, I am the most excited when I see the final results of a project or a look that we have been conceptualized and worked really hard on it. To see an artist on stage or in a music video, rocking looks that either my mentor and I or myself have styled is a whole other kind of excitement for me. It makes you feel all the hard work and time you spent working
on it are worth it.

8. What is your one biggest challenge that you encounter as a fashion stylist and how do you overcome it?
There are many but if i have to choose one that’d be when people underestimate what we do and our workflow. In Malaysia, there still some people who are confused with the role of fashion stylist and how we actually work. Some people think we design clothes (although sometimes we do). Some think we have unlimited source of wardrobe that they can request a look a night before. Some think our job is to only provide clothes hence they don’t see the point of paying
our rate (they don’t realize that styling also includes conceptualizing, planning, sourcing, loaning, dry cleaning etc).

My Mentor, Haida Yusof and I try to make it a habit to stand on our ground and let people know when their request is not possible. We try to let people know our workflow and what steps need to be done in order to style a project. In the end of the day, it’s all about education and exposure.

9. Favorite city to travel to and why?
My job takes me to places but I always enjoy going back to Johor. When I first moved to Malaysia, our family lived in Johor. It holds many memories for me. I spent most of my teenage years there and made a lot of friends whom I now consider as family. Going back to Johor always reminds me how simple life back then compare to my hectic life now. It is an intervention for me that life isn’t all about fashion and clothes.

10. What are the first five things you do when you wake up?
- Check my phone.
- Open the window to let fresh air in.
- Make myself a cup of green tea.
- Check and reply emails.
- Shower.

11. What are the top 3 essentials you must have in your bag?
- My phone
- Lipstick
- Wallet

12. Pet peeves?
- Panty lines on legging.
- People who don’t check or reply their emails. This frustrates me a lot.

13. What are you currently listening to?
Currently, I’m listening to;
- Mariah Carey - We Belong Together
- Phil Collins - Against All Odds
- Babra Streisand & Barry Gibb - Guilty
- Stevie Wonder - Knocks Me Off My Feet
- and a lot of John Mayer’s cause I’m so excited that he’s coming to SEA Asia this year!