Van Cleef & Arpels: Spring is in the air

Spring is the time of growth, nature and new beginnings. #legend speaks to actress Elva Ni and eco-activist Emily Lam-Ho about what the season means to them, their hopes for it and beyond

Elva Ni, actress

What does spring mean to you?

Spring to me symbolises the start of a new beginning. It’s very refreshing with all the nature and flowers blooming.

What is your favourite moment of spring?

My favourite moment of spring is when the buds start to break. There are so many different flowers in spring like Sakura – it’s very romantic.

What role does nature play in your lifestyle?

Nature is ingrained in my lifestyle. Whenever I practise meditation or yoga, I will always relate back to nature and connect with it because nature is what gives us life and sustains us. It’s linked to everything in our lives, so you have to be thankful and grateful for it.

I love visiting nature, like the seaside or going hiking. And I bring my children along with me as well so they can interact more with nature and learn about its importance to us.

Is there anything you’d like to do this spring, then?

Come springtime, I like to do a detox. Spring to me is the season for a restart, so it’s actually a great time for us to detox, like spring cleaning. Also, a detox is not limited to just in terms of what you put in your body. It could be a digital detox too.  

Spring is all about renewal, blooming and flourishing. What are some of your goals for the year?

This year, I think, is a good time for me to put my focus back on my work. I feel like for the last two years, I didn’t really do much because of the whole pandemic and then me being pregnant. Now that I’ve had my baby, I think it’s a whole new beginning for me to find that balance between work and family.

Today you’re shooting for Van Cleef & Arpels. What is it you love about the brand and their pieces?

I love their attention to detail and just their craftsmanship. A lot of their designs reflect elements of nature, such as the butterfly and flowers. At first glance, their jewellery is so beautiful and I think every woman wants a piece from Van Cleef & Arpels. With a closer look, you see just how much detail is put into the piece of jewellery and exquisite their craftsmanship is.

Would you say you’re a very detailed person?

I wouldn’t say I’m a very detailed person, but I do have a good eye for detail, especially with the things I’m passionate about.

With makeup, I like to experiment with the little things, like colour or placement. Then explore how that tiny change can transform your entire look. The same applies to jewellery, I like to look at the details. Like this watch I’m wearing right now (similar to this watch). If you look at it like this, it looks just like a normal bangle. But if you slide this face out, it reveals a secret watch, which for me is a very fun and interesting twist. It gives you an element of surprise and I love that.

Emily Lam-Ho, eco-activist

What does spring mean to you?

Spring means renewal. It means new life. But at the same time, it means a cycle. Everything comes in a cycle. I think that is what spring means to me.

What role does nature play in your lifestyle?

I hope everybody knows that I’m very big on sustainability. I think nature plays a huge part in not just my life, but in my family’s life. As a family, we love a lot of outdoor sports. We’re a big skiing family and we love hiking. I think even with products that I use, whether it’s skincare or clothes, we try to source as natural as possible. Nature plays a huge part in my daily life.

How did you get into sustainability?

Before college, I volunteered to work in Africa for two months. I worked at a village, at a local orphanage and a plantation. That’s when I realised that you don’t need a lot of material things to live happily. They conserve and they use only what they need by their own means. They don’t waste because it’s their way of life. Like, every drop of water you use is based on if there’s rainfall.

That trip had had a big impact in shaping me as a person today and introducing sustainability to me and that way of life.

In what ways do you hope to promote sustainability in Hong Kong?

I try to use my lifestyle platform, 8Shades, where I like to give out daily tips about sustainability and hope people will realise that sustainability doesn’t have to be one to 100. But really, it’s about making small changes to integrate sustainability into your life. It can just be taking a cold shower, which is good for your body and a form of sustainability. It can be bringing your own coffee cup to get your daily coffee. It can be very simple tasks that don’t have to cost you much or completely alter your lifestyle.

With Van Cleef & Arpels, what do you like about their brand? What stands out to you?

I have to say Van Cleef & Arpels is a special brand to me. When I was working in banking, the first time I made money, it was actually a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings that I bought. Later on, my husband actually got the matching necklace for me when I told him that story.

I see it as a very girly brand with a lot of floral and nature aesthetic to it. That’s what I love about it, the very floral and girly aesthetic. But at the same time, it’s very empowering as nature is very empowering to me and that’s how I relate to the brand.

What would you say are your intentions for this year?

I intend to push sustainability a lot more. At EcoDrive, we’re in the preparation process of our new campaign to push sustainability so I’m very excited. Springtime is usually when we start pushing out our annual Enough Plastic campaign.

I hope to push sustainability a little bit more, especially after COVID. We realised how many masks, protective equipment and single-use plastics during quarantine we had to use. I wish to promote sustainability as a beautiful lifestyle that everybody needs to just be a part of not just because it’s good for the next generation, but because it’s also good for us.

Photos by Van Cleef & Arpels

Also see: #jewellery: Gems and kisses