Fiona’s dog Charlie shows her best side on our shoot at the designer’s chic home;

Photographed by Jason Capobianco

"Mum! The computer’s broken! Mum! Where are my trainers?” These hollers were followed by the thud of feet hurtling up the stairs as we were engaged on our cover shoot on the roof terrace of Fiona Kotur Marin’s beautiful townhouse. While unflappably dealing with the demands of her four boys—just returned from school and busying themselves with an array of sports, computer games and snacks—Fiona managed to project an air of calm elegance as she posed in the baking heat of the terrace.

Unlike her camera-shy dog Charlie, Fiona was a natural, responding easily to direction. Ever the aesthete, she ran off mid-shoot in a pale pink Chloé blouse to dig out some vintage diamond earrings she knew would go perfectly, and when she realised the Valentino dress (worn on the cover) matched bags she designed for her autumn-winter 2016 collection, she sent for a selection to be delivered from the office. At lunchtime, amid fielding calls from family and work, Fiona ate with the crew at her dining table and even served everyone homemade gazpacho.

We joined Fiona on a trip to Shenzhen to see what goes into making a Kotur bag. Clue: It takes more than a prayer;

Photo courtesy of Michaela Giles

Fiona was as comfortable posing in Prada for our shoot as she was in sorting through samples in dusty factories in Shenzhen. She’s an aesthete who’s passionate about craftsmanship and determined to avoid short cuts—a dedication that combined with her ability to multitask makes Fiona a designer with staying power.

Go to Page 104 of Hong Kong Tatler's August 2016 issue for the full cover story.