Singapore jewellery designer Choo Yilin (pictured left) has been invited to exhibit at one of the world’s top fashion platforms during Paris Fashion Week, Tranoï.

More than just a fashion tradeshow, Tranoï – which literally means “between us” – is an artistic platform for designers to showcase their work and meet influential fashion industry movers and shakers.

As a platform for introducing a designer’s work to the world, an invitation to Tranoï is a sign that one’s work is making its mark on the international fashion and retail stage, so it’s a great honour for a Singapore designer.

Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery is an award-winning Singapore brand that blends sustainability with luxury jewellery design, creating pieces that are not only beautiful but also kind to the environment.

Established in 2007, the brand is particularly well-known for its work with regional groups to support the disadvantaged in collaborations like those with the Karen hilltribe artisans in northern Thailand, using reclaimed metals and developing a “green” supply chain.

We had a chance to chat with designer Choo Yilin about the importance of exhibiting at Tranoï and where her artisan jewellery label is heading. Check out the interview and see an example of some of Choo Yilin's rings below ...

What is the importance of being invited to Tranoï?
Tranoï is widely regarded as THE most prestigious fashion trade show in the world. It’s held in conjunction with Paris Fashion Week, and in addition to it having a very high rejection rate, there’s typically a two and a half year wait to get in whilst we kind of “bypassed” that waiting time so we’re extra chuffed!

Our sales agent, Front Row Studio, actually submitted our portfolio without our knowledge and only informed us when they knew of our acceptance. I think they did it so we wouldn’t be upset if we had gotten rejected!

Do you think more Asian designers of jewellery / fashion / accessories are making an impact on the market?
Yes – you definitely see many more Asian names exhibiting in the world’s most glamorous fashion events. They present an aesthetic that’s potentially different from their Western counterparts, given that their influences originate from different cultures.

Is there a particularly "Asian aesthetic" to your work? If yes, how? If no, how not?
I’m not sure if it’s an out-and-out “Asian aesthetic” but growing up in Singapore, where it straddles both the East and West perfectly, definitely allowed me to develop a worldview that’s somewhat cosmopolitan.

I think that perhaps you could say we try to capture both worlds in our aesthetic – We tell cultural stories through jewellery design in creative ways as evidenced by our jade line.

There seem to be a lot of new jewellery designers launching recently; do you think there are too many? If yes, why? If no, why not?
The trend of many new designers coming into the market is not surprising – I think many of us feel the need to create and jewellery design is an easy to fulfill this need.

The barriers to entry to jewellery design is low – virtually anyone who wants to can be a designer these days. I don’t think it’s an issue of whether there is too many or too few; rather though, the point would be to see how many of them will have the staying power over the years.

How do you source your inspiration? Do you start with an idea first? Or start with materials?
Always with ideas and stories – the material is sourced to help us tell the story effectively. From the beginning, we set out to tell stories of conservation through jewellery design. Thus, our inspirations have always been non-profit groups’ conservation messages and culture.

Where do you see your brand in 5 years time? And are events like Tranoï an important part of developing your brand? If yes, how? If no, why not?
We hope that our brand will have as much social impact as it does design impact; we’re working very hard to communicate social impact messages through design. We’re working diligently to increase our reach – we currently are represented in four countries and are intending to continuously increase that.

This is why a platform like Tranoï is so incredibly important in building our brand and we feel extremely blessed to exhibit there. We hope to do justice to that opportunity.

For more information about Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery, go to www.chooyilin.com and for more information about the Tranoï exhibition, go to www.tranoi.com.

Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery can be bought from Antipodean, 27a Lorong Mambong,  Holland Village,  277686; LoveYu Bridal Studio, 8 Mohamed Sultan Road, #03-01, 238958; Sulin Serio, Tanglin Mall, 163 Tanglin Road, #B1-18, 247933, Tel: 6235 5705; Trixilini, Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-57, 039596, Tel: 6338 7060 or shop online at www.doorstepluxury.com. You can also buy Choo Yilin Artisan Jewellery overseas, go to www.chooyilin.com/stockists for the complete list.