Lee Lin Chin, stylesetter and former broadcaster, was born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, where in 1968 she began working in television and radio. After arriving in Australia in 1980 she worked as a translator of Chinese language films (she speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and Fukien). Having worked with ABC radio in Darwin and Newcastle, she became a newsreader with the multicultural and multilingual public broadcast channel, SBS, in 1988, gaining devoted viewers through her stern, even contemptuous delivery and superbly-cut tops and jackets. As host of the network's Fashionista program she built a reputation as a style authority, in 2008 curating the National Archives of Australia exhibition of historical fashion photographs, Strike a Pose … With Lee Lin Chin. Known also as a comedian and a voice for social change, she has a huge social media following although she posts little, if anything, herself, retaining an intriguing air of mystery. Her 'Chinspirational' book, Iced Beer and Other Tantalising Tips for Life, co-written with Chris Leben, was published in 2016. Among the causes Chin supports is The Social Studio, an enterprise dedicated to creating employment and educational pathways for young people who have been refugees.
