21-05-2025
Veronique Manchharam of Bohème SG on building an ethical jewellery label
Singapore-based designer Veronique Manchharam brings ethical jewellery to life with her global brand, Bohème SG
Jewellery was never really part of Veronique Manchharam's original plan. Based in Singapore and with no formal training, the French founder of Bohéme SG spent years teaching language classes to professionals in the finance sector. But a creative impulse led her to experiment with making statement brass jewellery. Inspired by dangling earrings worn at Indian weddings, she sought to make pieces that reflected her own personal style.
Friends began asking for their own pieces, and soon, she found herself selling in local shops. In 2019, she left her teaching job to focus on jewellery full-time. The onset of COVID-19 presented challenges for the burgeoning designer, but it unexpectedly helped her grow. 'The ladies in Singapore were stuck at home, doing video calls,' she recalls. 'They still wanted to wear something beautiful so they would come, each buying 10 earrings at a time.'
Now, just a few years later, her designs are stocked in over 40 retail spaces across the world, including Eastern Europe, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, and of course, Singapore. 'Maybe the Philippines, too,' she adds.
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