Interviste con Shui Yee Chin

the idea came from a lantern i made with my dad during my childhood.

designing a concept that could create a 3D feel, with the idea usable on any kind of patterns.

I would like to design more patterns using this concept.

few months.

I couldn't spot this design concept anywhere I went or in any retail shops, therefore, I had the urge to bring my idea to life.

I'm open to collaborations if there comes an opportunity. I will definitely consider.

It's been spinning in my head for quite sometime where I do not see this concept at any retail stores.

Women of any age.

Usability. The introduction of a new way of configuring an earring.

I initially wanted to name it Floral Lanterns but then needed to revise it to Floral SY which is my initials.

The center bars I added to make a 3D feel. With this concept, I can create any patterns that could be viewed from all angles.

I did work with a jewelry manufacturer overseas to bring my idea to life.

Definitely the Visual enhancement.

my research includes online research, travelling to other countries, and of course researching locally at retail shops.

I cant draw, I normally handmade all my prototypes.

Essentially I would like to know how good my design is and what the judges think.

Bringing an imagination to life.

At this point, i only like designing women's fashion items.

a ladies shoe. then I venture into jewelry.

Everywhere I go. whatever I can see, travelling helps broaden my view about what's currently on offer in our markets.

Like, how I went for a holiday trip in Tokyo just to see the kind of jewelry that were on offer.

It needs to have a point of difference. and whether the item being developed will have a good market value.

Uplifting. a sense of having to bring an idea from concept to reality.

Point of Difference and could enhance others ways of workings.

Functionality, durability and if its safe.

An item has to be safe for consumers. And no animal killings.

I get my inspiration from my surroundings, so whatever I observe or experience in my daily life.

very refined, classy and timeless designs are what i always have in mind. A good imagination helps a lot.

I'm currently based in Melbourne. Living in one of the worlds most livable cities, and it being an international fashion capital, helps a lot with opening my eyes to the current trends and the different patterns and color palettes on offer.

Positives is when I can put everything I like into my design. Negatives, is when there are quality rules to abide.

Few months

how did i make it all happen.

My job as a Buyers assistant, which helps me gained a lot of experiences in the retail industry and particularly with product development.

I'm currently trying to create my own label.

Develop Myself.

they can reach me by emailing me at shuiyee@outlook.com

I was studying the jewellery market, and did a little bit of observation , and noticed that the women’s earrings designs does not show a good overview of the charms and patterns. That prompts me to design a structural form using 2 central bars that could show the designs from the front and back. And in all directions.

In my growing years, I have been making lanterns for Chinese New Years, until one day the lantern I made with my dad needed some modifications, where the flower patterns needed to be enhanced but still wanted to maintain the shape of the flower. To do that, we added 2 central bars so to show the flower patterns on all sides. I thought I can incorporate this to my design.

I can’t draw, which sort of hinders my creativity. I would first imagine how my final design would look like before carving it out from papers and piecing them together. My suppliers who i work with usually have good CAD design apps, which really helps immensely with translating my vision from paper into reality.

I wanted to create a design which is not only versatile but also has a long lasting effect. And which does not go out of trend easily. My design is not only compatible with Hook and Thread, but also on any Dangling earrings. The 3 dimensional concept will allow all stones and patterns to be clearly shown and defined with a cutting edge and also with a unique twist.

I wanted to create a design that women can wear for all occasions. No matter where they are in life, women deserves to be celebrated. I have chosen a flower pattern for my winning design, for its classic symbol of feminine and beauty while also keeping in mind that it also has to be affordable.

There are a few technical considerations I have taken to achieve this visual effect, first is that it must not be too costly to manufacture, as I would like it to be available for everyone. Second, the Central Bars must not be seen and should be hidden from view therefore enhancing the flower designs. And also, it needs to be versatile enough and is able to be applied on other designs in the future.

My goal is to introduce another approach to making earrings, as well as keeping in mind the targeted markets, and the cost and likely margin of the final product. I also did not want it to be limited to a particular trend rather that the concept of the design can be used and applied on other designs as well.

Yes, initially I was thinking of using diamond, but it’s too expensive – Lol. It’s okay, Cubic Zirconia can do the same effect too. It glows and sparkles beautifully while at the same time is affordable and an achievable design.

Yes, I do think as part of the future range, I will likely include some multi-coloured stones on the flower design, I think it will look beautiful. I also need to think about how the market will respond to coloured stones as some wearers might prefer just plain material instead and which I will consider developing that as part of the range too.

Winning the award definitely gave me a lot of confidence in jewellery designing, and coupled with the judges evaluation it really helps in letting me know that I’m on the right track with the thought process and the concept itself. In the near future, I look forward to expanding on the current design but perhaps with a little bit more twist applied to it.