Beyoncé swears by it: Marie France Van Damme designs luxury resort wear that celebrities flock to buy – interview

Oct 20 , 2020

Designer Marie France Van Damme founded her eponymous clothing brand – originally a resort wear collection – in 2011. Photo: Chen Xiaomei

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After working with fashion retailers Marks & Spencer and Saks Fifth Avenue, then hoteliers Aman Resorts and One & Only, Van Damme struck out alone – now she boasts 13 boutiques across the world in LA, Miami, Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong

Marie France Van Damme is best known for her luxury resort wear – beloved by Beyoncé and other Hollywood celebs, who are often spotted at her Beverly Hills store, one of 13 outlets worldwide.

“I opened stores in my favourite cities,” says the designer, who moved to Hong Kong in the mid-1980s.

We are chatting at Tirpse, a new French-Japanese fine dining eatery at K11 Musea. I notice Van Damme has a keen eye for styling when she starts readjusting some of the dishes for our photographer, who is taking food shots nearby.

“I can’t help myself,” she says, rearranging the plants and ornaments for the background of the video shoot we are about to begin.

Designer Marie France Van Damme. Photo: Chen Xiaomei

She started her self-named label Marie France Van Damme in 2011 after many years of manufacturing for brands such as Marks & Spencer and Saks Fifth Avenue.

“I was working with Marks & Spencer and I was in London because my youngest son was studying there,” says the Montreal-born designer. “I put a small resort collection together and brought it to Harrods. I arrived there with a bag and they loved absolutely everything and said, ‘We’re gonna place an order right now, don’t leave’. And then when I went back to my flat and saw my son I said, ‘I just got an order from Harrods’, but actually [at that moment] I didn’t even have a brand. I just had samples and ideas and that is how the brand was born.”

A dress from Marie France Van Damme’s 2020 collection. Photo: Handout

For the next few years, Van Damme put together her collection for various department stores and resort groups such as Aman Resorts and One & Only, all while continuing to design a private label for Marks & Spencer and other European customers. By 2013 she wanted to open her first store.

“I called IFC [in Hong Kong] and asked if they happened to have space and the manager said, ‘Nobody knows who you are. Give me a call in a few years when you are selling in 35 different countries,’” she said. “Three months later, I called him and said, ‘By the way, I am selling in 35 different countries’ and before I could finish my sentence he said, ‘I have space for you.’