[Photo provided to China Daily]

Raised in Paris, Barret studied design and tailoring at the famous fashion school ESMOD in Paris. She then worked as an assistant at several fashion houses, spending time in New York, Italy and Spain, before launching her own label in 1999.

Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the Hermes boss, invited her to design a silk collection and she later became artistic director of Feminine Silk for Hermes in 2003.

In 2009, she was appointed Women's Universe creative director of Hermes.

"I joined Hermes because of the freedom of creation, which is really the best thing you can have," she says.

For now, Hermes offers 25 new designs for scarves every season and 50 a year.