My scientific background—I have an M.S. in biomedical journalism from New York University and a B.S. in animal biology from the National University of Singapore—helps me see beyond the PR gloss to break down the human and environmental cost of fashion.

My job has taken me to female-run waste-picker co-ops in Brazil, clothing repair shops in London, West Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market in Ghana, textile innovation labs in Hong Kong, next-generation denim factories in Turkey, Team U.S.A. uniform manufacturers in New Jersey, recycling plants in Sweden, and the site of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh.

I extend the same curiosity to other subjects, digging into royal family conspiracies, MAGA merch, the battle over Jane Austen’s whiteness, ugly Christmas sweaters, the history of spacesuits, cult—as in isolated groups with fringe beliefs—fashion, knitting community drama, frozen sharks washing up on Cape Cod, methane-eating creatures in the “Mayan underworld,” and the many faces of Doctor Who. One day, I hope to write a book about the monetization of the Titanic disaster or a guide to literary haunted houses.

I am cited in a Wikipedia article about banthas, an accomplishment I’m inordinately proud of.

A Singapore native, I now live outside New York City with my husband, daughter, and two cats.