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, Cillian Murphy, Brady Corbet, Mahira Abdel Aziz, Michelle Dockery, Natalia Vodianova, and Kieran Culkin.

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, Elements and In his current venture, he collaborates with international studios and figures including Zohiko, Wing Shya, Christopher Makos, Olivia Putman, and Kari Voutilainen 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:

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.

In 2025, Bertrand Mak also designed a bespoke brooch for the Oscar Nominee of Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay, Brady Corbet, for his epic period The Brutalist at the 97th Academy Awards. The brooch, named Endeavour, was a unique piece custom-made in sterling silver for Corbet, inspired by the raw, geometric style of Brutalist architecture and a tribute to spomenik.

For a third year running, Bertrand Mak designed and created another bespoke brooch for the 98th Academy Awards, worn by the Oscars Winner of Best Supporting Actor, Kieran Culkin. Named Untitled 21, the brooch is a one-of-a-kind, 2-piece 18K yellow gold creation made again by Kari Voutilainen in Val-de-Travers. The abstract design is a brushstroke from the work of an unidentified contemporary Asian artist, composed of two distinct gestures realised by hand engraving and engine turning.

Selected Interviews and articles