How I Make It Work: Fanny Moizant

FASHION BY ANNA SAUNDERS

Fanny Moizant is the co-founder of Vestiaire Collective, a luxury resale website. Fanny launched the business from the floor of her Paris apartment in 2009 and is now based in Hong Kong, where she oversees the expansion of Vestiaire Collective in the Asia Pacific.

On her typical morning

Our house is awake around 5.45am and the kids take the school bus at 6.50am. Some days I go to the office super early, but with Vestiaire headquarters being in Europe, I often have meetings finishing at 10 or 11pm. On those days I try to fit in as much family time as I can in the morning.

On her style: “I would describe my style as ‘edited’ and ‘classic with a twist’. In Europe I wore a kind of uniform: skinny jeans with a sweater in winter, and a t-shirt or shirt in summer time."

The humidity in Hong Kong means you can completely forget jeans. Instead, I do a super-large trouser. I have a bunch in cotton and linen

On her travel schedule

Right now, I travel three weeks out of every month. I’m in Paris every month for a week, I’m in Australia a lot, and in and out of Singapore.

On balancing work and family

It’s very tough. But I have two things that keep the family grounded. My husband and I are never away for more than two days at the same time. And we talk with the kids as much as possible.

On avoiding jet lag

When I moved to Asia 18 months ago I was obsessed with trying to manage jet leg with very strong sleeping pills. Now, I try not to fight it. I have one tip: a French cough syrup called Toplexil. My doctor in France gave it to me, and it really works.

On what drives her

I’m addicted to being challenged – whether it’s a personal challenge or a professional one. I need to find new, exciting projects to feel alive in a way. Changing roles and changing countries is an exciting part of the business.

On managing emails “I’m the worst. I think I get between 200 and 400 emails a day, which is literally impossible. And now, living in Asia, I double up with a lot of Whatsapp and private messaging on Instagram.”

On why maternity leave changed everything

I was really, really happy to stay at home with the children for three years. They were 18 months apart and I did fashion school in between them. That period at home gave me the energy – the crazy energy, actually – to build something.

“It gave me confidence, actually. I’m a pretty shy person but when you become a mother and stop being at the centre of your own life, it kind of puts things in perspective. You just care less about other people’s opinions.”

I also realised that to take time away from the kids I really needed to feel passionately about what I was going to do. So I decided to create my own job. Vestiaire couldn’t have happened at another period of time for me.

Meet The Women Making Thousands From Their Wardrobes

BY CAROLINE ZIELINSKI Arrow READ IT HERE

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