“Mossery is Malaysian?!”
If this isn’t the thought that goes through your head when you read this article, congratulations, you’re considerably more in the know compared to the handful of people I’ve spoken to about this.
Jokes aside, Mossery has become such a globally renowned brand since it started out in 2011 as a considerably early pioneer in Malaysia’s notebook scene. Here’s the story of how it has grown.
Starting a new chapter
Mossery started out as a side project of one Vivian Loh, who was a graphic design student. Upon graduation, Vivian dived into the working world, finding herself in advertising agencies and eventually at a food magazine.
All the while, though, she was growing Mossery as her pet project.
“A self-help book I read on courage and setting goals inspired me to aim high and take control of my destiny,” Vivian explained about the original spark of inspiration to start Mossery.
“I was captivated by paper products and understood the benefits of using them. I’ve been using paper stationery to draft sketches for the designs of my personal projects ever since I was a teenager.”
In 2014, Vivian decided to approach Jun to design Mossery’s brand identity. He was so inspired by the project that he ended up joining the company as a co-founder, focusing on business and product development.
Like Vivian, Jun was also a graphic designer. Growing up, he had always been interested in art, having been inspired by Malaysian comics and manga. However, with school placing a heightened focus on traditional academic paths, he initially pursued science.
“After SPM, I sought a balance between arts and business, leading me to study Advertising & Graphic Design at a private college,” he said.
Both Jun and Vivian handle the design, marketing, and day-to-day operations of the business, including customer service, ecommerce, and logistics. Initially, there was also a third co-founder who helped kickstart Mossery through his family’s printing business. Eventually, he chose to focus on his family’s business.
The power of personalisation
Starting out, Mossery’s first product had been the Pocket Notebook, a compact solution designed for on-the-go use.
“However, the process of developing new products has drastically changed over the years as our customer base grew,” Jun and Vivian said.
This change reflects users’ actual needs and wants. For one, the Mossery team consists of avid stationery users, so they get to experiment and test products internally before putting them out in the world.
Moreover, they can tap into a supportive community of customers to get feedback on any prototypes.
“For example, we realised that different people use stationery differently to cater to their needs. Hence, we introduced a refillable system where they are able to mix and match the papers inside a Mossery Book,” they shared.
I myself am on my second refill of my own Mossery notebook. Personally, I find the system to make journalling more approachable, since I can always swap out the insides while reusing the gorgeous hardcover exterior.
Speaking of which, Mossery is known today for their wide selection of beautiful designs. The co-founders proudly shared that they’ve collaborated with over 200 artists from around the globe to create more than 200 unique covers.
On top of those covers, they also offer more than 24 selections of refills, including Planners, Notebooks, and Sketchbooks, allowing users the option to mix and match the covers and refills they like.
“One of our current bestsellers is the Art Kits curated by our collaborating artists,” they added. “These kits include a user-friendly, step-by-step practice guidebook designed to teach people how to paint with various colouring materials.”
This goes to show that Mossery is more than just a notebook brand; it is truly a lifestyle brand that inspires growth and creativity in customers.
“Our vision includes creating products that offer guidance, such as prompts in planners and guided workbooks in Art Kits,” they said. “We believe in celebrating individuality, which is why we offer the largest selection of covers, enabling customers to choose designs that best represent them.”
Malaysia on the world stage
But sometimes, even the best products have a hard time standing out in the market. So, how did Mossery get its breakthrough?
The journey started right here in Malaysia, of course.
In late 2014, the team received an invitation from Kinokuniya Malaysia to share and present their range of products. The bookstore fell in love with their offerings and has been their stockist ever since.
Another significant breakthrough came when Mossery was commissioned to produce 700 pocket notebooks for a TV channel back in 2015, opening up a new market.
And then, another pivotal moment came. Mossery was featured in a BuzzFeed post. This thrusted the business onto an international stage.
One way they were also able to get onto global customers’ radars was by listing on Etsy, an American ecommerce site.
“Approximately a quarter of our customers are local, while the rest are from overseas,” Vivian and Jun revealed.
Having a global audience means going up against global competitors, though. And there are many major brands out there that are offering great notebooks.
Even locally, there have been lots of new brands, such as Mucca Paper, Ana Tomy, Summorie, and more.
To that, the Mossery co-founders said, “The rise in competitors helps us spread the message of creativity and growth to a broader audience, especially locally. It also raises awareness within the creative and stationery community.”
“We’re proud to have fostered a market where new entrepreneurs can continue the craft of creating well-designed stationery products to meet growing demand.”
Noting down the future
Mossery’s greatest challenge, Jun and Vivian said, has been building a brand from scratch, which involves serving an untapped market in the industry and building an end-to-end supply chain to meet that demand.
“Thankfully, we’re a small, integrated team and have developed a handful of products that resonate with people,” they said. “We’ve overcome these challenges by being resourceful and embracing the belief that ‘Everything Is Figureout-able’.”
Now, Mossery is focusing on making sure their products are accessible across different markets in the world. The team does this by expanding their presence through offline outlets like events and fairs to gain deeper insights from customers and users.
“We are celebrating Mossery’s 10th anniversary this year,” they added. “While we sometimes feel that our work has just begun, we’re also taking a pause to acknowledge how far we’ve come in the business and the global community we’ve built around it.”
Featured Image Credit: Mossery
