Bay Doucet wears many hats, and she wears them well. In BURO Malaysia’s July cover story, the model, content creator, and entrepreneur discusses achievements and milestones, and her desires that extend beyond the present.

They say that looks can be deceiving. What appears on the surface is not necessarily a reflection of what’s hidden underneath. Bay Doucet is a striking example of that truth. Ambling into the studio in a striped tee and light-wash denim, a warmth unfurls at her lips as she greets everyone in sight, concealing the complex contradictions of her being with aplomb. A love for fashion—an industry so notorious for its flirtations with excess—is at war with a clear conscience that drives a passion for sustainability.

But to bombard her with probing questions on the matter before she even gets the chance to settle into the makeup chair is to show one’s lack of tact. Besides, the last thing anybody needs at the moment is for the mascara wand to gouge her dark brown eyes out in a sudden shift in movement, which would cause the day to slip right off the storyboard. No. She’s in that mellow headspace where only soft rhythms and feel-good moments belong, we reckon, seeing how the chilled Tahitian Lime Refresher sweats between her palms.

HONEYMOON PHASE

Doucet has every reason to be walking on air. July marks two important milestones in her life: it’s when she was brought into the world and when she chose to share it with someone else. A little refresher: Doucet tied the knot with actor Sean Lee, who was also BURO’s September 2024 cover star, exactly a year ago in an intimate ceremony. As the model struts further into her twenties—she turns 27 this year—she looks back to what the past year has taught her.

“This is not a romantic answer,” she prefaces her response, as though she is fully aware of the expectations that come with the question. “As an only child, I had never lived with someone near my age, so I sometimes feel that married life is like learning how to have a sibling,” she adds. She goes on and runs through all the upsides of seeing things from that point of view—finding someone who can keep up with her at Nintendo Switch is at the top of the list.

Coming from a relatively conservative family, moving in with Lee before he put a ring on her finger was not in the cards. So the first year of marriage, according to her, has felt like going through the first stages of dating all over again. “We are learning so many new things about each other,” she says. “Sean is a great dad to my cat, a stray that I rescued from the streets, which is funny because he is his favourite person now,” she chuckles.

Another realisation that only hit after marriage is Lee’s ritual of order. “I have always known that he is a very clean person, but it's been interesting to observe him and learn from his habits,” she says, recounting all the times his pristine ways have rubbed off on her—like when he makes sure the wiring is neatly routed and tucked away, or when he puts things back exactly where they came from. “He doesn’t nag me about it, but it’s a good reminder for me to be less messy,” she adds.

Doucet’s journey to the altar was not without its ups and downs. After all, she and her husband had been dating on the down low for eight years. Finding the right balance in a relationship, to many, is akin to catching lightning in a bottle. So it is only understandable that some are wondering if the couple is putting their relationship at risk of undoing the strides they’ve made. If it ain’t broke, why fix it? To this, the KL-born beauty offers a diplomatic reply.

“Marriage was always something that we talked about. I do respect it as an institution, and I think it’s nice to have someone to go through life with,” she shares. Doucet then explains that part of the reason why it took them as long as it did to marry was to allow her the room to grow in her career. “It was important to me that I brought something to the table. I didn’t want to have to rely on him for everything. So I’m glad that it happened as we planned it,” she adds.

LOVE LANGUAGE

When asked if she picked up self-sufficiency from her mother, who raised her on her own, Doucet flashes a radiant smile. “I love my mum. She is so strong and a real badass,” she beams, her eyes sparkling with admiration. “She taught me that I should be able to take care of myself. Obviously, I love my partnership with Sean, and I love that I can lean on him, as I do in many aspects, but there’s strength in knowing that I am capable of doing things myself,” she says.

Awash in memories, Doucet lets her guard down, breaking the hush around what she had never spoken aloud. “My dad left when I was 13. That experience made me very upset with him, but it didn’t really affect how I view marriage,” she divulges after taking a beat. “To me, marriage is about two people who want to show up and make the decision to love and support each other even in moments of weakness,” her voice trails off, letting the words settle around her.

Independence clung to Doucet like a second skin—passed down, practised, perfected. At a time when most of her peers were basking in their youth, she was clocking hours at internships and taking on multiple roles, quietly building a life with her own two hands. She booked her first modelling job when she was still a trainee at a local interior design studio. That bridal campaign opened up a whole new world for her as she landed no less than eight gigs within the span of three months.

“I always look back on that experience fondly,” she reminisces about the 15-hour shoot. But more than the exposure, Doucet values the relationships she has made in the past six years. “I didn’t think I’d be able to work with them again. So, it’s interesting to see that the brands I’ve worked with come back at different points in my career and become part of that growth with me,” she recalls, adding that this rapport has allowed her the freedom to plot her career sans agency.

A WOMAN’S WORLD

Doucet’s decision to move under her own steam, however, came with its own set of challenges. There was no one to show her the ropes. Fortunately, she found a community in fellow freelancers whose experiences became a beacon that helped her navigate the fashion scene. “I would not be here without the models that I got to work with in my first few years, who guided me on things like rates and how to handle certain negotiations with clients,” she says.

Those invaluable insights continue to serve her as she explores other branches of the creative tree, like content creation, for which she similarly maintains artistic autonomy. “I am not a TikTok creator,” she comments on her project selection, which entails working only with brands that she likes. “There’s a certain style of video that I enjoy making, and if the clients are asking for something I already know is not my strength, I might just turn them down,” she says.

Her integrity resonates with her followers, who value authenticity and, in turn, big-name brands that share the same ideals. “One of the highlights of my professional life so far is getting the opportunity to attend the Grand Numéro de Chanel exhibition in 2022,” she exclaims, still in disbelief. “That was a big opportunity. I didn’t think it would happen so early in my career, even though I had started working with the Chanel team a couple of years prior to that,” she adds.

Given the benchmark she has established for herself, one can’t help but wonder if there are choices she wishes she’d made differently. “There’s no way for me, realistically, to be in this industry and say that I’m a hundred percent a champion of sustainability,” she gives us a glimpse at the storm brewing within. “I spend a lot of time thinking and feeling guilty about this. Some days, I feel like I should just stop making content and disappear from the internet,” her hands fall into her lap, still.

Finding herself at a crossroads between a love for fashion and a liability that fuels growing overconsumption, Doucet came up with Looop, a consignment-based secondhand clothing store. Along with her partners, Adani Bakhtiar and Emma Khoo, she aims to play a part in addressing the environmental impact of the industry at large. The first step was to help mature the local ecosystem and create a proper structure to recirculate what already exists.

“Secondhand shopping is still a niche. The scene is not big enough for, say, your mum to get in on it,” she says. With that in mind, she designed a warm and welcoming space for all, putting an end to the stigma attached to resale shops. “We also cultivate a good customer service experience for our customers. We are blessed with a community of regulars—it’s been a great three years,” she adds, expressing her desire to make Looop her main focus in the near future.

KINDS OF KINDNESS

With elevated retail experience at consignment stores like Looop making the headlines, a new debate is stirring over the astronomical pricing of secondhand pieces, which is the reason many turn to fast fashion in the first place. “The issue was never about those in the lower income bracket shopping fast fashion,” she responds to the criticism. “The problem lies in the people who are doing thousand-ringgit hauls on Shein when they can afford to buy quality products,” she lets out a heavy sigh.

Doucet then reaffirms her stance in positioning Looop as a curated secondhand shopping destination. “We’re not trying to replace bundle shops—it is important to have options. If you don’t get people from the higher income group to start shopping secondhand, you’re going to have a bigger problem,” she doubles down. Undeterred by the naysayers, Doucet has already mapped out her next move—a second branch in Penang is slated to open later this year. “The first time taught us a lot. Now we’ve got something to build on,” she concludes.