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SCMP Reporter

AT 5am on a cold January day, Cherry Chau made her way in pitch darkness to a jetty in Sai Kung, took a deep breath and plunged into the icy depths. The bitter end? Hardly.

  ''That was just one of the things I did during the week I found myself,'' the popular fashion jewellery and accessories designer explained yesterday.

  ''It was my first Outward Bound course and I also went on a three-day hike with only the bare necessities on my back - food, water and a sleeping bag - did a lot of climbing and my share of kitchen duty.

  ''There were eight of us on that course, including a taxi-driver and a nurse - she was the only other woman - and we not only discovered each others' strengths and weaknesses, but became the most wonderful team.

  ''I was born in Hongkong and partly raised here, but I've never been with my own people in such an intense and varied way.

  ''Those seven days really changed the way I feel about myself. As you get older, life in this city can become too protected, too decadent.''   Born into a cultured, well-to-do family, Cherry Chau, wife of Secretary for Trade and Industry Brian Chau, has never had it tough, but make no mistake; this is no frivolous tai tai.

  Her Spring-Summer '93 collection, launched the other day at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel's Capriccio Restaurant, made it clear that this is a designer well on the road to international recognition: a truly scrumptious range that is perfectly attuned to the current vogue for all things nostalgic.

  Lane Crawford, sole local retailer of Cherry Chau Creations, would probably protest that she has already made it. As the department store's latest costume jewellery sales figures reveal, the local designer is outstripping some of the world's fanciest names.

  ''I was pretty astonished,'' Cherry confessed. ''According to those figures, my things earned 17 to 20 per cent more sales points than Valentino's and outdid several others including Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld and Givenchy.

  ''I'm now selling to stores all over the world, but the one I'm most thrilled about is Harvey Nichols which introduced my line at the end of last August.

  ''It's my biggest breakthrough yet and has given me a lot of confidence because now I know I can handle a major operation long distance.

  ''When you have your own operation, as I do, things can get very lonely - especially when it comes to big decisions.

  ''Going to Harvey Nichols was one of the toughest yet, but I've loved that store since my student days - the best window displays of all, I always thought - and so far, things are going really well, even with the recession.''   As at Lane Crawford, the famous Knightsbridge store now boasts a Cherry Chau boutique, complete with its own staff - ''a great manageress, plus four salespeople'' - stock and identity.

  Heading for London in the next few days will be the Hongkong designer's new season collection.

  Central to it are miniature reproductions of famous paintings drawn mostly from the Renaissance and Romantic periods. They have been used on necklaces and belts, adorn earrings and bracelets, and most fetchingly of all, crown Cherry Chau's new hairpins.

  ''Terribly simple to use, even for the finest hair. You just do a French roll, insert the pin down the middle and that's it,'' said the designer, deftly demonstrating the glamorous hair accessory which should bring joy to long-haired do-it-yourself fans and a measure of despair to certain Hongkong's hairdressers.

  The experience of a Canadian buyer should depress them even further. ''She reckons she's selling them as fast as she puts them on display - up to 130 pieces an hour,'' the designer said happily.

  ''I introduced my hairpins nine months ago, but I think these are the nicest yet.''   Along with the cameos which are coated in resin, set in tiny ornamental frames and attached to copper chains - some of them coated in 24-carat gold - are numerous other enticements.

  Butterfly, flower and leaf motifs abound, and faux pearls and jewels add gleam and glitter, though most versatile are Cherry Chau's fabric numbers.

  A twist or two and a chiffon wrap with organza flowers becomes a cummerbund; a change of scene and those chignon-holders can do double-duty as garters for practical-but-pretty sleeves - or naughty stockings.

  Educated in Hongkong and Switzerland and trained at the London College of Fashion, this mother of two (''Sebastian has just turned 11 and Sasha is eight'') has come a long way since she launched her company six years ago. She plans to go even higher.

  ''Rock-climbing is my new passion. I've already done Lion Rock, Kowloon Peak and those great climbs at Shek O and have discovered that the most dangerous sports can also be the safest - providing you take the proper precautions.

  ''I love walking too, so I've bought maps for all the country parks and thought of a way to introduce children to Hongkong's natural beauty.

  ''My idea is to set up a camp combining outdoor adventures with arts and crafts; a really fun programme where kids could learn how to recycle materials for use in crafts like tye-dying and screen-printing, along with more energetic activities.

  ''It would be run by professionals, of course. I've already spoken to some overseas instructors who have finished their contracts with Outward Bound, and they're really keen on the idea.'' 



Cherry's jewels prove accessory to success