Founder of Chichi®.

Hello, my name is Serena Janet Israel Anthony (1971) and I was born in West Berlin to a creative and loving family of hardworking craftsmen and entrepreneurs and I am the eldest of three sisters. My family has always encouraged me to appreciate music, culture and art. From a very young age I developed a passion for color and shapes, a passion that can easily be recognized today in my craftsmanship and art works.

I studied mold making in Berlin and even worked as a restorer at art museums, although before I would join the university to earn my academic degree in restoration, my life took an adventurous turn. I decided I was going to sail around the world in a self-made sail boat. For years I traveled to many locations, including Portugal, the Canary Islands, Africa and the Cape Verde Islands. After crossing the Atlantic the first land fall was Barbados, which indicated that I have arrived at the Caribbean.

Then in 2001 I arrived at Curaçao and I instantly fell in love with the region’s bright colors, multicultural atmosphere and welcoming hospitality, so I decided to stay. In 2003 I had my beautiful daughter Chayen, she is to this day my biggest blessing.

At the time I was a young mother that had to support her family, so I worked multiple just so we could get by. I was a waiter, sales person for handmade jewelry and furniture, kids party entertainer, making my own African jewelry line, even cleaning boats, and giving kids and adult workshops. Through these workshops I was able to dive back into my profession and start a whole new chapter in my life.