#BehindtheSelfie with... Kelly Fung

1. Where do you live, work and play?

Currently, I am getting the best of both worlds; spending half of the month in Johannesburg, and half in Cape Town.

2. What’s your claim to fame?

Probably that I was on the KTV Dunk Show in grade 3!

3. Describe your career so far.

Hard work, dedication and clever thinking.

4. What do you love about your industry?

The fascinating, absurd, bizarre and creative people, the beautiful fashion I get to play with and the gift of being able to hold the results of all your hard work in your hands, at the end of each month.

5. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

No day is the same, of course. But it usually starts and ends with answering emails.

6. What are the tools of your trade?

The ability to focus and multi-task at the same time. A curiosity for the world around you and creative stamina.

7. Who is getting it right in your industry?

I think everyone is trying their best to get it right, but SA holds a tricky, very split market that no one is hitting just yet.

8. List a few pain points the industry can improve on.

• Diversity and inclusion
• Resistance to change
• Egocentric personalities
• The bizarre imbalance between those with a lack of experience and the seasoned who don’t want to move on.

9. What are you working on right now?

My first few issues of Elle South Africa!

10. Tell us some of the buzzwords floating around in your industry at the moment, and some of the catchphrases you utter yourself.

• Inclusivity
• Diversity
• Slay, girl!
• “You are reaching”
• When something needs to go: XYZ is cancelled

11. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

When I travel. Airports have grown on me.

12. What’s your secret talent/party trick?

I am a world-class expert at ninja-bombing a party/event. That’s code for disappearing.

13. Are you a technophobe or a technophile?

My heart says technophobe, but my brain says technophile.

14. What would we find if we scrolled through your phone?

Screengrab upon screengrab of fashion campaign and visuals and product, hundreds of unopened WhatsApp messages and strange gifs, my new language of choice.

15. What advice would you give to newbies hoping to crack into the industry?

Besides that it really isn’t as glamorous as it seems (I’m not just saying that; you do actually have to pack boxes for a couple of years), that it’s totally okay to go through the process, you don’t have to be famous and successful overnight.

For a sustainable career, learn from all those who have gone before you, absorb all the info. It’s a craft, not a race.

You can also follow Elle South Africa on the following social media channels: Twitter | Instagram

*Interviewed by Leigh Andrews.