# Bertrand Mak

Bertrand Mak is a Hong Kong–based British artist, designer and entrepreneur of Chinese descent. He is the founder and chief creator of art and luxury brand Sauvereign as well as the proprietor of CrystallineTM, a gold leafing technique he had reinvented in 2012. His designs have been worn by notable people including Lady Violet Manners, Lady Amelia and Eliza Spencer, Zara Tindall, Olivia Colman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maria Sharapova and Cillian Murphy.

## Education and career

Bertrand Mak attended Harrow School on an entrance music scholarship and won admission to the University of Cambridge. It was at Harrow where his interest in watches became the seed that grew into his career. After graduation, he worked as a management trainee for Louis Vuitton, subsequently joining Christie's as a watch specialist. In 2017, he founded R. Sanderson in collaboration with British shoemaker Rupert Sanderson, and in 2020, founded Sauvereign as an independent brand with stores in high-end luxury malls including Landmark and Elements. In his current venture, he collaborates with international studios and figures including Zohiko, Wing Shya, Christopher Makos, and Olivia Putman to create cross-disciplinary objects of wearable art.

## Notable projects
### Art and Community

Bertrand Mak has several notable projects that contribute to culture as well as community:
| Year | Nature of Project | Project Title |
| 2017 | Art Exhibition | Andy Warhol: Shadows in Hong Kong |
| 2019 | Art Exhibition | Andy Warhol: Shadows in Taipei |
| 2019 | Charity Fundraising | Creating Legends: Campaign to Support the End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation (ECSAF) founded by Josephine Siao |
| 2022 | Art Exhibition | Wing Shya: Colours of 1000 Gems |
| 2022 | Art Exhibition | Warhol Makos: Andy Loves Hong Kong |
| 2023 | Art Exhibition | Dualités: Mosaic of Details |

### Design at the Oscars

For the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, Bertrand Mak designed a bespoke brooch for the Oscar Winner of Best Actor, Cillian Murphy. The brooch, named HS14, was a unique piece expressively conceived and created for Murphy and inspired by the actor’s leading role in the cinematic masterpiece Oppenheimer. HS14 is made of solid 18K yellow gold, and was hand-cut, hand-finished, and assembled by Kari Voutilainen in Val-de-Travers, Switzerland.

## Selected Interviews and articles

| Published Date | Publication | Author | Article |
| June 12, 2014 | Business of Fashion | Divia Harilela | Rupert Sanderson on Launching a Niche Brand in China |
| June 27, 2014 | South China Morning Post | Divia Harilela | Bertrand Mak puts fine craftsmanship first in eponymous luxury brand |
| August, 2019 | Prestige | | Prestige 40 Under 40: Bertrand Mak, Entrepreneur |
| January 27, 2020 | ELLE | June Chow | 設計師專訪：R.Sanderson 創辦人Bertrand Mak |
| June 26, 2020 | Hashtag Legend | Alyanna Payos | R. Sanderson rebrands as Sauvereign ahead of new campaign |
| September 25, 2020 | POPBEE | Ashley Pang | 被指「不懂得賺錢」？奢侈品牌 SAUVEREIGN 創辦人：不惜工本也要追求完美 |
| October 6, 2020 | Financial Times | Kate Youde | My Favourite Pieces: Bertrand Mak — 'Vintage is about scholarship and rarity, not money' |
| May 7, 2021 | The Standard | Crystal Wu | Golden reverie |
| May 27, 2021 | Tatler Asia | Rosana Lai | Bertrand Mak's Favourite Sauvereign Styles Involve Little Twin Stars and 24K Gold Leafs |
| May 30, 2021 | Vogue Hong Kong | Simon Au | 香港品牌能走向奢華格調？ Sauvereign 創辦人Bertrand Mak 分享獨有見解 |
| August, 2021 | Prestige | | Prestige 40 Under 40: Bertrand Mak, Founder of Sauvereign |
| August 11, 2021 | Ming Pao | 沈晴 | 迷上鐘表工藝 創奢侈品牌 麥柏靈：客人不是潮流奴隸 |
| November 18, 2021 | South China Morning Post | Leona Liu | Yes, local Hong Kong fashion brands can be luxurious: Bertrand Mak on founding Sauvereign after designing for British shoe label Rupert Sanderson |
| February 24, 2022 | Invest Hong Kong | | "The bespoke experience in retail", Bertrand Mak shares his thoughts about "Tiny dot" - Hong Kong (video) |
| April 8, 2022 | Harper's Bazaar | Kahlen Chen | 走進稀有性的殿堂！繼金箔傳奇之後，那些SAUVEREIGN真正值得收藏的設計 |
| May 24, 2023 | Women's Wear Daily (WWD) | Miles Socha | Studio Putman Ventures From Interiors to Accessories |
| June 2, 2023 | Robb Report | P. Ramakrishnan | Sauvereign and Studio Putman Celebrate Their Collaboration with "Dualités: Mosaic of Details" Exhibition in Hong Kong |
| June 6, 2023 | Schön! Magazine | J. Bibi Cooper | sauvereign by studio putman |
| August 1, 2023 | Hashtag Legend | Hill Choi Lee | Sauvereign By Studio Putman brings collab collection to Hong Kong |
| September 4, 2023 | Retail in Asia | Manica Tiglao | Through Sauvereign, Bertrand Mak wants to put a Hong Kong-born art and luxury house on the global stage |
| October 26, 2023 | When I was Young I Listen to the Radio 「口水多過浪花」with Do Do Cheng | | 我係你老師：古董錶收藏家~ BERTRAND MAK~ (radio) |
| March 10, 2024 | The Hollywood Reporter | Laurie Brookins | Cillian Murphy Wears ‘Oppenheimer’-Inspired Brooch to the Oscars (Exclusive) |
| March 11, 2024 | GQ UK | Adam Cheung | Cillian Murphy's Oscars brooch was never meant to be at the Oscars |
| March 11, 2024 | Mirror | Tatiana Krisztina | Oscars' Winner Cillian Murphy's brooch had special meaning behind it |
| March 11, 2024 | Esquire | Connie Chan | 《奧本海默》影帝Cillian Murphy配戴港產胸針「HS14」登上奧斯卡寶座｜品牌SAUVEREIGN大有來頭 |
| March 12, 2024 | The Beat Hong Kong | Alisa Chau | Cillian Murphy Wears Hong Kong-brand SAUVERIGN Accepting Best Actor Award |
| March 12, 2024 | The Standard | Sophie Hui | Murphy's Golden Link to Hong Kong |
| March 13, 2024 | Vogue Hong Kong | Junjie Wang | Sauvereign’s Bertrand Mak On Designing Cillian Murphy’s Oscars Brooch |
| March 13, 2024 | New York Times | Guy Trebay | The Bro-Brooch Sweeps Award Season |
| March 2024 | Gentlemen's Journal | Zak Maoui | The story behind Cillian Murphy's Oscars brooch |
| March 2024 | Grazia Singapore | Zara Zhuang | CILLIAN MURPHY’S OSCARS JEWELLERY IS A SUBTLE NOD TO ‘OPPENHEIMER’ |