Chan Luu left her homeland of Vietnam in 1972 to follow her dream of designing—a dream that took 24 years to come true. What happened in the meantime? She earned a business degree in Boston and a fashion design degree in LA, and opened a clothing and accessories boutique. Despite this last style-oriented achievement, the shop didn't sell her own designs—so in 1996, she finally launched her jewelry collection, followed by a clothing line in 2004. Today, Luu's loot is sold all over the globe, and though they were many years in the making, they were definitely worth waiting for.