With a name like hers, it's fortunate that Elle 'Icon' Lee is tall, slim and feminine. 'People must wonder who I think I am,' she says, explaining that she came up with her middle name when searching for a Twitter handle. 'As my name is so common, I decided I'd be the 'iconic' Elle Lee. I laugh about it.'
Born in Shanghai, Lee was educated in Britain and lived in Australia and the US before coming to Hong Kong. She travels home three times a year to see her parents and to rotate clothing because her Hong Kong apartment is small: 'There are shoes in a cupboard, on a rack, under my bed ... '
Lee has worked in different areas, but her career revolves around one theme: fashion. 'I worked with Flora Zeta Cheong-leen, the haute couture designer. She's my mentor; she inspired me a lot.' Having previously modelled, Lee was familiar with the fashion industry. Cheong-leen taught her the possibilities of multitasking.
Specialising in digital media for a communications firm on accounts such as Jack Wills, Forever 21 and TW Steel kept fashion in Lee's life. 'Working with young fashion brands is amazing. They are open to creativity and new ideas. They aren't bound by rules,' she says.
Now working solo, the energetic Lee is even busier. 'I consult for fashion brands, focusing on social media and online marketing. I also have a blog and an online TV show,' she says. She presents Weibo Today, giving a weekly English-language summary of what's newsworthy on Chinese social networks.
Lee recalls her mother being fashionable. 'I would wear her red lipstick, trench coat and heels, when I was five,' she jokes. But the countries she's lived in have also played their part in inspiring her.
'I like to dress for the occasion. Each place created who I am today.' Britain had the largest impact on her: 'It embraces the world, and people aren't afraid to wear anything.' Lee says when she arrived there, she felt conservative: 'It opened me up to various styles. I would try anything, mix and match and be creative.'