Charlene 10 Years Pahu Makana by Hanyun Gu and Yibing Hu

Charlene 10 Years Pahu Makana by Hanyun Gu and Yibing Hu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Keleawe in Hoʻolālā Lako Makana Competition Category.

KeleaweLako Makana· 2025

Charlene 10 Years Pahu Makana

by Hanyun Gu and Yibing Hu

Client: Charlene Classic

A' Design Award Keleawe Winner in Lako Makana Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #162166

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Charlene 10 Years Pahu Makana

ʻO Charlene 10 Makahiki he pahu makana hoʻomanaʻo i hana ʻia no ka hōʻikeʻike makahiki ʻumi o kahi ʻano kālepa mea kāhiko. He ʻano kīʻaha peahi ke ʻano o ka pahu, a he 260 me 95 me 40 milimika kona nui. Hōʻike ʻia kekahi ʻano wehe e like me kahi puka aniani, e hoʻomanaʻo ana i kekahi kumumanaʻo hōʻikeʻike ma mua. Ua kāpili ʻia ke kumumanaʻo hōʻikeʻike ma ke ʻano ʻōmaʻomaʻo ma luna, a ua kāpili ʻia ka ʻōlelo hoʻolaha o ke kālepa ma ke ʻano kālā ma ka pōhaku. Ma loko, aia kekahi puke nui, kekahi puke pani, kekahi peahi ʻohe i loko o kahi pahu keʻokeʻo, kekahi palapala kono pepa, a me kekahi kāleka kiʻi pena ʻohe. Hoʻohana ka puke pani i ke ʻano hoʻopili "accordion" kahiko a wehe aku a hiki i ʻumi mika ka lōʻihi.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Keleawe

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Charlene 10 Years Pahu Makana i ka A' Design Award Keleawe, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kūʻokoʻa i ʻike ʻia ma o ka hana noʻeau, ka akamai a me ka makakoho. He mau hana mākaukau a hana noʻeau kupaianaha nā lanakila Keleawe e hōʻoia ana i ka ʻike nui, ka noʻonoʻo a me ka maʻalea o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Charlene 10 Years Pahu Makana he mea i mahalo nui ʻia, hoʻohiwahiwa ʻia a aloha ʻia, he ʻoihana a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Keleawe e hoʻohui ana i nā hana maikaʻi loa o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana, a maikaʻi no kona nānā ʻana i nā kikoʻī. Hoʻokō maikaʻi ka hoʻolālā Charlene 10 Years Pahu Makana i nā pono, hoʻopā i ka makemake, hoʻohiwahiwa i nā manaʻo a huki i ka makemake e ʻike.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The elegant name for a fan, "Ren Feng," implies the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, as well as the elegance of poetry, music, and odes. This concept serves as the creative theme for Charlene Classic and represents a unique emotional symbol used to interpret the values shared by the brand and its users. They are using jewelry as a medium to promote Chinese culture and supreme philosophical wisdom.
Dimensions & Packaging: Size: 260*95*40mm.
We designed a book box in the shape of a fan case with the theme of "Benevolent Breeze Presented in a Box". It adopts an opening structure like a window (qǐ yǒu), echoing the brand's first exhibition theme of "Opening the Window to Admire the Splendor". Inside the white fan box is a green all-bamboo fan. The supplement is in the traditional Chinese accordion binding and unfolds to be as long as 10 meters.
Tags: Oriental aesthetics, reading experience, book design, cultural dissemination, bamboo, painting scroll
Production Technology: While retaining the traditional form of paper invitations, the designer uses a fan as the main invitation for the event. The fan can not only represent the sentiment and taste of the fan holder, but also be used as a token to convey emotions. It will also be an exhibition souvenir. The designer takes the "Wonders of Xiao and Xiang" by Mi Youren, a painter of the Southern Song Dynasty, as the design concept of the entire set of books - summarizing the ancients' evaluations of this painting into four sections and carefully arranging the reading experience after opening the book box according to this structure. In the book case are the main volume, the supplement, the bamboo fan and box, the paper invitation and the bamboo painting card. Readers create an atmosphere of the poetic home of Eastern literati step by step through the rich changes in craftsmanship, materials and different papers during reading.
Design Challenge: The core of design is to convey "The Benevolent Breeze Spreads" and show the "elegant charm" of the Orient. We conceived from two aspects.

Outside: "Benevolent Breeze Presented in a Box". In research, we found ancient people used fine fan cases. We set the album theme as this and designed a book box like a fan case. For the structure, inspired by the brand name "Xuan" (meaning window), we added an opening structure for a window-opening feel, responding to the 2017 exhibition theme. Hoping Charlene keeps spreading Eastern culture.

Inside: "Spreading the Elegant Way". We suggest using a fan as the main invitation while keeping paper invitations. A bamboo fan, implying "there is bamboo at the origin", corresponds to two series. We want materials inside to draw on traditional Chinese binding forms. Albums, cards, and invitations should convey oriental charm through printing and paper texture. Overall, we aim to show the elegance of the Orient through design.
Research: How to convey the brand concept with the "Benevolent Breeze Series" as the core in the tenth anniversary exhibition is the focus of the design. In the first round of proposals, we took "The Benevolent Breeze Spreads¹" as the thinking direction of the design. Among them, "Benevolent Breeze" implies the meanings of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust; elegance, poetry, music, and praise." "Spreads" represents dissemination and promotion. We hope that through design, we can express Charlene's vision of spreading Eastern culture to the world like "The Benevolent Breeze Spreads." In addition, we also hope that when people receive this set of books, they can receive a strong breath of Eastern culture.
Inspiration: We designed a book box in the shape of a fan case with the theme "Ren Feng Presented in a Box." The structure mimics an open window, echoing the theme of the brand's first exhibition, "Open Xuan to View the Splendor." The book box's surface features the exhibition theme "Bamboo Shadows and Elegant Fans Presented by Xuan" embossed in green, with the brand's slogan embossed in silver on the left side of the lid.
Project Duration: In July 2023, it started in Beijing. The project ended in October 2023. In November 2023, it was exhibited in Shanghai, Beijing and London in succession.
Operation Flow: It appears in the form of a commemorative gift box in the exhibition. It helps the on-site audience better understand the brand story, history and development, and get to know the brand products more quickly.
Team Members: Chief Editor: Charlene Li
Editor: Xinlong Zhang
Authors: Sally Wang
Translation: Minzy Zhao
Photography and Post-production: Xinlong Zhang, Yunpeng Fu, Shasha Lu
Art Director: Hanyun Gu
Design: Hanyun Gu, Yibing Hu
Proofreading: Sally Wang, Ying Xing, Minzy Zhao
Project Coordination: Xinlong Zhang
Print: Beijing Yinyi Arts Cultural Development Co.,Ltd
Printing: Beijing QiHang DongFang Printing Co.,Ltd
Image Credits: Photography: Xinlong Zhang, Yunpeng Fu, Shasha Lu
Post-production: Xinlong Zhang, Yunpeng Fu, Shasha Lu
Picture: CHARLENE High Jewellery Workshop
Imperial Palace Fan Collection Design: Carina Yen, Jason Koo, Yuan He
Bamboo Fan Collection Design: Yuan He, Yingwan Sun, Hanshu Lai
Video: CHARLENE High Jewellery Workshop