Girl-about-town Faye Tsui has styled for some of the biggest international brands in Hong Kong. Tsui tells Tatler about her early days as a stylist and her favourite campaigns of her career so far
Faye Tsui has styled for some of the biggest luxury brands, from Tiffany and Co. and Calvin Klein to Burberry, Qeelin, Harvey Nichols and Olay. However enviable her career looks on Instagram now, the born and raised Hongkonger says her life wasn't always as glamorous. After working as a personal assistant to Lan Kwai Fong mogul Allan Zeman in 2005, Tsui changed gears from a possible career in computing (we’re not kidding) to an acclaimed career in fashion.
Read all about her daily routine, mistakes she made early in her career and her advice to those looking to follow in her footsteps.
Where did you study and what was your first job?
I spent my last two years of high school in Perth in Australia, which is where I also attended university. I graduated with a degree in information technology. After graduation, I came back to Hong Kong and worked as a personal assistant to Allan Zeman for a year, which inspired me to make fashion my career. I was determined to be a professional stylist so I moved to London for a summer to attend a fashion styling and marketing course at Central Saint Martins, where I got to interact with the elite of the fashion industry.
How did you make your start in the digital world?
After I moved back from London, I had worked as a stylist for a couple of years when an online media platform approached me to write a blog for them. I never thought about sharing my personal tips on social media. But that sparked my interest. I began with #OOTD [outfit of the day] looks, which eventually led to my own blog.
How did you get into styling?
I was really struggling with IT then, and realised it wasn’t something I wanted to do as a career, so when I got back from London, I decided fashion styling was where my true passion lay.
Take us into your world. What does a typical work day look like?
I am an early bird: I wake up early and do my hair and make-up. I usually pick a shoot location ahead of time and create content with my photographer in the afternoon. I also try to attend fashion and beauty events in between, if time permits.