Australian born and raised, after graduating from Swinburne University of Technology with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Political Studies, Stephen began his work life as a research sociologist for the Health Department of Victoria in the mid-1980s. In 1990, in a quest to expand his cultural and geographical horizons, he moved to Paris, France where he would remain for the ensuing two decades. There, he began contributing essays on art, fashion, architecture and design to newspapers that have included The New York Times, The Guardian, The Australian and Le Monde, and for magazines including Blueprint, Wallpaper*, British Elle Decor and American Vogue.