Loupe designers-in-residence series
An avid lover of fei cui, fashion designer Chailie Ho has branched out into jewellery since late 2018 when Jade in Style was launched. Her linear and soft design set with multi-coloured natural fei cui beads in gold-plated silver has already won the hearts of the younger generations as well as sophisticated fei cui aficionados thanks to her clear vision and distinctive style.
The Hong Kong-based designer was a BA womenswear and a MA pattern-cutting graduate from top fashion institute Central Saint Martins college. In 2009, she started her namesake fashion label renowned for fluid and refined design featuring in-house hand-drawn watercolour prints which have brought her several awards and the opportunities to represent Hong Kong to participate in important fashion weeks overseas.
Living a successful life in fashion for eight years, Chailie Ho discovered that something was missing in the changing business. “The fast-fashion trend drives people to replenish their wardrobes every six months, which has created a lot of waste for the environment. I began to use upcycle antique laces in my collections in a bid to preserve the masterly techniques and cultural heritage from the west,” said Ho. But what about the oriental culture?
The quest for preserving Chinese culture and a more sustainable adornment revived Charlie Ho’s deep-rooted fondness for fei cui.
“Ordinary fei cui jewellery was either too pricey, elaborate or old-fashion for day-to-day wear. Jade in Style aspires to fill the gap. I learned fei cui identification and jewellery design from scratch. I enrolled in professional courses, and even went to Jieyang, Sihui and Pingzhou in the Mainland to take a hands-on approach to product knowledge and ‘stone gambling’,” Ho added.
To reach out to a wider audience, most of her jewellery are made in gold-plated silver, and all with natural fei cui. Ho’s creations call attention to the generous use of fei cui in different colours including green, lavender, yellow, red and black which are arranged in a linear style for a modish dangling effect.
Starting from several hundred to tens of thousands Hong Kong dollars, Charlie Ho’s fei cui pieces provide young customers with an approachable price to appreciate exquisite fei cui jewellery. According to her, many of her customers have bought their first piece of fei cui jewellery from her. “My design also appeals to seasoned fei cui lovers. Last time, a lady who was wearing an extraordinary fei cui bangle with fine translucency and emerald green colour came for a matching ring. She was pleased to get one,” she said.
She attributes the wide acceptance of her jewellery to the contemporary design and uncompromising quality. To ensure all materials for her jewellery are natural fei cui, she sources and cuts the rough by herself.
Rendering fei cui in a unique way with a vision, Chailie Ho has been selected to be part of Loupe’s Design Residency Programme. As a new comer to the jewellery sector, she finds the initiative particularly helpful in terms of skills and techniques.
“During the programme, I found my direction which is jade carving and wax carving. It allows me to develop my own skills from the basics, and apply my pattern-cutting skills from fashion design to jewellery design,” she said.
In less than two years’ time, Jade in Style has secured eight points of sale in Hong Kong, including TDC Design Gallery, Loupe at PMQ, Eslite, museums, etc. The initial success does not stop Chailie Ho from taking bold steps ahead.
“Seeing the potential of modern fei cui pieces, I’m preparing myself for launching fine jewellery under the brandname of Chailie Ho in future. Through modern design, I wish to better engage customers with the touching stories behind fei cui, like the symbols and meanings of fei cui carving.” (Photo courtesy:
Jade in Style)