Style icon Maggie Cheung was Qeelin’s first muse. Dennis Chan, Qeelin’s creative director, dressed the actress at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival in the Wulu collection, and as she walked onto the stage to accept her award for Best Actress in Clean by Olivier Assayas, she captured the world’s attention with her demure personality, and the world was introduced to Qeelin.
Read about the rise of Qeelin jewellery here: The Rise of Qeelin Jewellery
Since then, Chan has amassed a growing number of fans, and has worked with many celebrities, dressing everyone from Asia’s biggest names like Gigi Leung, Karena Ng, Ase Wang, to international stars like Coco Rocha and Isabelle Huppert.
Qeelin’s tagline is Be Qeelin, Be Yourself,. In dressing all these individual women, Chan has always emphasised on the importance of being yourself over following what’s trendy. “Many people asked me what is style and how to be stylish,” says Chan. “I think it is very much about how to bring out the charm and personality within yourself.”
To design something timeless and elegant is always Chan’s goal for Qeelin. “You don’t have to chase after trends. Be yourself, simple and straightforward,” he advises. “Be confident about yourself, be graceful yet creative.”
When Chan designs, he designs for his muses. Dressing Isabelle Hubert at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, Chan gave the free-spirited actress a pair of Qeelin Couture Xi Xi earrings in 18k white gold with diamonds, jadeites and rubies, along with two Wulu rings in 18k white gold and diamonds. The earrings, inspired by Chinese festivities and celebrations, features an ingenious design – the head of Xi Xi moves about as though in a dance.
For actresses Ase Wang and Karena Ng, Chan accessorised them with the iconic Wulu collection. With the traditional gourd shape, it remains the quintessential symbol of style creatively reimagined for modern woman.
Chan also worked with Gigi Leung, who styled with different Qeelin jewellery for different parts of the day. From Wulu sautoir-style necklaces in the morning, to fun Ceramic Bo Bo charms and Wang Wang puppy-shaped pendants in the afternoon, Leung showed us how Qeelin jewellery could be mixed and matched and suit every contemporary women. Chan also worked with celebrity stylist Alvin Goh to dress two very different women: international celebrity Coco Rocha and Chinese actress and singer Josie Ho.
“I’m thrilled to be the ‘painter’ collaborating with Alvin, a stylist who understands the character of our jewellery and enhances the beauty of Qeelin,” says Chan.
“I think every woman has a story to tell,” says Goh. “It is about her personality, her dreams, her mood. What I do is to enhance that element of her, as if exaggerating a trait, and let it create a lasting impression on others.”
Chan shares the same sentiment: “When I design a piece of jewellery, I have the idea to bring out the individual personality of each lady. My design is playful yet sensual, simple yet opulent, flexible yet carries emotions. It’s something you can enjoy and explore with.”
To learn more go to qeelin.com
