Cherry Chau

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How did it start?

Hong Kong-born Cherry Rene-Bazin attended the London College of Fashion, where she spent three years studying design, millinery and embroidery.

Her first foray into the business world came when she was approached by a Swiss gallery owner who spotted her wearing a brooch she had made. He encouraged her to make more to sell at his gallery. Her first collection consisted of handmade jewellery and accessories made from semi-precious stones and fragments of antique jewellery from Rene-Bazin's travels. She sold all the one-of-a-kind pieces quickly and decided to make accessories her future.

In 1989, she approached Lane Crawford and the store instantly ordered almost every piece of her collection. In 1992, she launched her company, Cherry Chau, using her marital name from her first marriage. In the following year Harvey Nichols picked up her collection for its main London store. Soon her collection became available at department stores in Britain, France and the US.

The look?