Ingrid Uys grew up in Cape Town where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in religion and politics, spent 25 years in the UK where she studied for a Masters degree at the University of Oxford. She also spent time in Paris, Amsterdam, Majorca, Cyprus and on the idyllic island of Spetses, Greece. She started her print journalism career on the Rand Daily Mail; in the mid 90s became Assistant Editor on Leadership Magazine; a fixer for NBC News; a public relations officer and researcher for the South Africa Foundation in London. Not content with just one career, Ingrid opened her own boutique in Cape Town called Wild Olive, where she focused on merchandising handwoven cotton clothing and whose clients included the newly installed members of ANC cabinet and Lady Victoria Spencer, Charles Spencer's ex wife. She has returned to the field of fashion based in the south of France selling high-end brands: www.fig-boutique.com