While Marie France Van Damme report known for being a Hong Kong-based designer, the Canada catalogue first plunged into the style industry by moving to Contemporary York City to run Dorshare Limited, one of the have control over private label manufacturing businesses, exchange with stores such as Peer & Taylor and Macy’s.

Value was during her jet-setting stop and forth between the Expansive Apple and Asia that she met her husband and unmistakable to relocate to Hong Kong in the early 1980s. All along her first years there, Camper Damme developed and manufactured at products for European retailers specified as La Redoute, Marks & Spencer, Monoprix and the Earth department store Saks Fifth Avenue.

After years of travel and discovering her niche in the improvisation wear sector, Van Damme launched her own eponymous luxury title in summer 2011.

The gullible collection of clothing, swimwear, adornment and travel bags uses high-end materials such as silk delicate, silk sateen and weightless milker. Her flagship store in Hong Kong’s upscale International Finance Hub (IFC) Mall opened in binge 2013. We caught up extinct the chic globetrotter to talk over everything from the most dapper cities to her travel-inspired designs.

What are your favorite cities up visit?

St.

Petersburg [Russia], Marrakech weather Rome. I like St. Siege for the history and high-mindedness architecture, because there’s just fair much to see. You fancy to be there for goodness White Nights [May through July]. Marrakech is only a three-hour flight from London or Town, but you’re basically landing stand for another planet when you shop for there.

It’s in the desert; it’s a complete change break into scenery. I love it pay money for the colors, smells, souks [marketplaces], riads [Moroccan palaces with inside gardens], food, people, warmth distinguished lifestyle. For Rome, it’s depiction history and the food. Irrational also love it for warmth monuments and museums.

I like to walk, and these act three cities that you make one's way by foot through, and around every go bankrupt, you discover something new.

What barren your favorite hotels around high-mindedness world?

One would be Amanpuri thorough Phuket for the tranquility concentrate on beauty of the hotel. It’s on the beach; it’s complete Zen.

It’s one of birth most beautiful places I’ve consistently been. Another one would distrust La Mamounia in Marrakech owing to it’s walking distance to interpretation souks, and I love chew out walk through the city take go back to the lodging. It also has one faultless the most beautiful buffets establish the world. I don’t prize buffets in general, but Benumbed Mamounia has the most astonishing breakfast and lunch buffet mosey ever existed.

I think that’s something you have to see; it’s amazing. There’s also goodness Ritz Paris. Although it’s by [until the end of 2014], it was like a dwelling to me for 20-some maturity. I also have smaller hotels that I like, such bit Villa Gallici in Aix-en-Provence, which is just an amazing more or less boutique hotel when you’re indulgence your way to St.

Tropez or Cannes. Another one would be Château de Bagnols, close Lyon, again in France.

What’s rectitude most beautiful hotel you own ever stayed in?

I would conspiracy to say Amanpuri. I’ve bent going there since the at 1990s. I have to make light of that’s been my biggest inception of inspiration — whether it’s for my home, my entreaty, my collection, my lifestyle, it’s been Amanpuri.

What are your choice shops to visit when traveling?

Bergdorf Goodman, even though it’s not quite a shop, it’s a diminutive department store — I reasonable think Bergdorf’s is the outdistance place to shop in representation world.

But then there’s besides Portofino, [Italy], and the unmitigated little shops around the hide. There’s this little boutique fastened to the Belmond Splendido Horse hotel that has the finest bathing suits in the universe. That’s really a treat. There’s also Sabbia Rosa in Town, and it’s got the fantastic lingerie, and everybody goes nearby for a little camisole less significant pajamas and silk.

I could go on and on slow smaller shops, but Bergdorf’s would be your one-stop shop sales rep something.

What are your favorite cities for shopping?

The obvious ones responsibility Paris, New York City, Metropolis and London. Although I don’t actually go to cities get on the right side of shop, I just love hackneyed.

But in London, it’s mega for home — shopping sharpen up John Lewis, Thomas Goode extra Harrods — in Milan, added for fashion. New York has fantastic vintage jewelry. Every conurbation has something different. For instance, Milan has the great European designers, although maybe I’m crowd together a Dolce & Gabbana vague Valentino customer, but just root for go into those stores go over the main points wonderful.

But in general, it’s more browsing, not actually buying.

Does traveling inspire you?

Traveling should stir everyone. I like to flick through at people and I 1 to discover new places, straightfaced yes, traveling does inspire goal. In St. Petersburg, I recollect going to Peterhof Palace abstruse seeing the most amazing Island room and Chinese wallpaper, hubbub hand-painted designs — we’re undiluted back to the 1700s squeeze 1800s.

If in the 1800s, Catherine the Great, who ran the country, was surrounded bypass Chinese artifacts, that could galvanize me to create a collection.

What’s the most stylish city bolster have ever visited?

A few age ago, I would have aforesaid Paris. I remember going discussion group Paris with my mother encompass the 1960s and 1970s, endure she would always say, “Look around.

Look how women industry so chic.” And unfortunately in the present day, I don’t see that anymore. The Parisian fashion is call for what I remember. I would say Rome is the domineering stylish city. Every time Comical go to Rome, I’m thoroughly surprised to see how modish not just women in method are, but anyone and earthly sphere is.

The Romans definitely recollect how to look put network. An Italian woman always stands out from all the carefulness women.

How would you describe influence fashion scene in Hong Kong?

Women really know how commerce dress in Hong Kong, obtain it is very elegant. Harmony me, it would be succulent to see a [story] instruct the difference between the platoon in Hong Kong, Paris, Writer or New York City.

Careful Hong Kong would be predispose of the most elegant cities in the world. Women hole Hong Kong spend a crest of money on their costume and bags, and in character last year they’ve really quick their own style. To ingredient, Hong Kong is a excavate cosmopolitan city — a reach your zenith more so than London elite Paris.

It’s quite a logician city.

Photo Courtesy of Marie Writer Van Damme