For millennials who grew up consumed with print magazines and the rise of digital content material, you’ll know of Zara Wong, and her dream profession. 

Beginning out as an intern at Vogue, Zara rapidly landed a job at Harper’s Bazaar, earlier than working her method up the ranks at Vogue Australia.

Zara initially studied arts, commerce and worldwide enterprise – areas which can be all capitalised on in her present function as head of content material at Australia’s magnificence and retail big, MECCA. ‘I’m actually happy that this function is leaning extra within the ‘numbers’ aspect,’ Zara says. ‘Even when in vogue editorial, I used to be actually within the business and monetary aspect, and whereas there are far more gifted numbers individuals at MECCA, it’s one thing that’s required in my function as nicely.’

This multifaceted place sees Zara working throughout the advertising and marketing, design, and visible merchandising groups, with every day duties that vary from writing for the MECCA Memo, planning new episodes of the MECCA Talks podcast, and growing social media content material. Her favorite a part of the job is conceptualising new campaigns (to be rolled out in-store and throughout a number of digital platforms) and devising the annual pattern report. ‘This encompasses magnificence after all, but additionally the zeitgeist, tradition, fashion and way of life,’ Zara says. ‘I’m all the time desirous about what’s common, and why it’s common (even when it’s to not my private style, I’m nonetheless intrigued as to why individuals are into it) – principally what makes individuals tick. 

With Covid hanging round and a child on the best way, Zara is at the moment working from residence most days, which is the place we joined her for a day within the life!

Very first thing

I get up between 6.30am and seven.15am. I attempt not to take a look at my telephone, however I find yourself taking a look at my telephone. I do the Wordle, and test the climate (I don’t perceive individuals who can stroll out of the home with out checking the climate!)

I’m not a morning particular person, however I’m a ‘get on with it’ particular person! I’m higher as soon as I’ve had time to ‘ease into’ the morning. 

Morning

I begin work round 8am both at my eating room desk, proper subsequent to my kitchen, or I get to the workplace by driving. I used to stroll to work pre-Covid, however actually, I’ve simply develop into increasingly lazy. 

My first duties are often checking emails, going by means of my calendar, and ensuring I’m prepped for the whole lot arising. Relying on the day it may very well be reviewing the upcoming week’s price of EDMs, Memo tales, the web site homepage, or having catch-ups with groups to see how campaigns are progressing. 

If we now have main shoots taking place I attend them, often in Melbourne or in Sydney. This occurs roughly each 4 to 6 weeks relying on the size and focus of the campaigns.

Afternoon

The afternoon is generally a number of conferences! We’d generally go to shops too to see how a marketing campaign has rolled out, and converse to retailer staff members in our MECCA shops for his or her suggestions. We attempt to study from every marketing campaign and enhance on them every time.

I end up anytime between 5.30pm and 7pm, however generally it means catching up after hours as nicely.

Night

I get bored simply, so I attempt to prepare dinner a variety of various kinds of meals for dinner. It is likely to be baked salmon with salsa verde, lemon and citrus; sheet-pan hen roasted with olives; steamed eggplant with rice and hen soup; or stir-fried beef with eggs and peas with rice that my mum would make for me and I like. I prepare dinner a variety of Chinese language meals as nicely due to my heritage, so I ask my mother and father for ideas, or there are nice Chinese language cookbooks by Fuchsia Dunlop for fundamentals or Cecilia Chiang’s superb e-book that’s now not in print, however I discovered a secondhand copy on-line.

My husband and I get pleasure from cooking so we do some meal prep on the weekends and freeze parts that can be utilized later, so if we’re each busy for work and wish one thing rapidly, we’ll defrost one thing we made prematurely like ragu, meatballs, or jiaozi dumplings.

I genuinely get pleasure from cooking, and even once I’ve had a nerve-racking day, I’m typically glad to prepare dinner as a result of I discover it fairly meditative to simply give attention to the duty at hand and get an amazing end result. My household all the time is aware of once I’m a bit confused once I simply randomly whip up a banana cake!

Very last thing

To change off I hearken to music, learn a novel or characteristic articles on-line, browse TikTok, or work on my Substack e-newsletter Screenshot This that comes out as soon as every week. I began the e-newsletter in one of many many Melbourne lockdowns as a result of it helped me rely down week by week It’s a compilation of what I’ve just lately beloved to learn/watch/expertise/hearken to. 

I fall asleep between 10 and 11pm. I did sufficient all-nighters once I was in highschool or uni, so eight and a half hours of sleep is my best! 

Proper now I’m listening to, watching, and studying…

Listening: For music, Haim, Caroline Polachek, Maggie Rogers, and Thelma Plum. For podcasts, Superstar Memoir Ebook Membership, Freakonomics, How To Construct A Joyful Life, The Nice Girls Artists, and Second Life.

Watching: The Dropout; Succession (I genuinely really feel prefer it’s among the finest tv exhibits in years); and How I Met Your Father (that is fairly horrible however I like Hilary Duff so I’m persevering. I’m very into high-low tradition!)

Studying: For the time being I’m studying The Different Black Lady by Zakiya Dalila Harris. I additionally recurrently learn newspapers by means of Apple Information; and longform articles in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, New York Journal, and Vox.

I’m the sort of one that is all the time sending ideas or suggestions to buddies if I watch/learn/see one thing I feel they may like, so I began a e-newsletter to tug all of it collectively! I’ve additionally obtained e-book suggestions saved on in Instagram highlights.

One thing I’ve discovered the onerous method is…

Doing work final minute along with your again up in opposition to the wall provides you a tremendous end result, however it’s often an disagreeable expertise!

Additionally, that I really want to eat correctly with the intention to operate. I used to journey extensively in my final function abroad (New York, Paris, London, Milan) and since I might be on the run, jet lagged, and drained, I’d be far and wide with my meals. I might seize a choc chip cookie for breakfast (I’d be up since 5am due to jet lag or working, and be pondering ‘sugar, vitality!’) as I ran out of my lodge room to conferences and exhibits. Lunch can be no matter and at any time when I felt like (grilled cheese toastie? Positive!), earlier than a heavy, wealthy dinner at 9pm. Then post-event/dinner drinks with buddies? SURE! Then I’d come again to my lodge room for a late night time with my laptop computer as that’s when Australia can be awake. I’d go onerous and quick – I’m a really ‘work onerous play onerous’ sort of particular person – after which, I’d really feel horrible, get actually sick, and simply wouldn’t be capable to operate at my optimum. You could possibly do {that a} bit in your 20s, however I actually couldn’t carry on going like that. I actually love meals so I’m definitely no well being nut, however I actually must eat sensibly with a number of protein, fruit and greens with loads of sleep to operate!