Our topic "In a State of Play" is about pushing material boundaries. How does this concept resonate with your approach to designing jewellery for Thing In Itself? Where do you find the freedom to experiment?

Xin: We start playing as soon as we're born. It's only human nature to explore and learn through play, and in fact, this is where we learn best! In the practice of jewellery design, play is present in every step of the way, from ideation to development and even the final stages of user testing. I think play is also about not taking the process of design too seriously, especially without an intentional goal to achieve a certain final product. Instead, allow the process to lead the way.

 
Xin wears the wrap-around scarf top in dark teal

Beyond the tangible materials, what intangible elements—like emotions, memories, or abstract concepts—do you "play" with when creating your jewellery?

Xin: Everything! I think a lot of my creations come from photographic memories I've built in my limited visual memory bank through years of exposure to design, graphics, and fashion—it's everything that I love and appreciate.

Creativity thrives in a state of play, but getting there isn’t always easy. Do you have personal rituals or creative habits that help you enter this experimental mindset when designing?

Xin: I think doing something completely random helps. Like playing with my kids—it could be inspired by a plant they picked up at the park, or a scribble; sometimes, inspiration comes from conversations between me and my loved ones. I think these rituals aren’t exactly habits, but they have become a way of life!

 
Xin wears the open back draped funnel neck top (coming soon)

Is there such a thing as too much play? Do you set intentional boundaries in your process to keep your designs cohesive, or do you let experimentation lead the way?

Xin: You can never have too much play! I usually let experimentation lead the way, but it has to be feasible in production and, of course, wearable.

 
(featured above) the chambray exposed seam wide legged trousers in denim blue

Can you pinpoint the moment when you first felt drawn to jewellery making? Was it a childhood fascination, a personal need, or a gradual evolution from your graphic design background?

Xin: It was a gradual transition from my design background. I've always been drawn to formats beyond print and digital. Jewelry design gave me the opportunity to turn my ideas into tactile and wearable forms of art.

Your work blurs the line between jewellery and wearable sculpture. Do you ever think of your pieces as extensions of the body rather than just adornments? Why?

Xin: I would think of it as an extension of us—as a person, a body, a moment in time.

Considering your background in graphic design, how do you translate the principles of visual play and experimentation from that field into the tactile world of jewellery?

Xin: It is through stages of exploration and trial and error—not every initial sketch can make it to the final stage, but it’s okay to move on—sometimes it’s about failing fast and failing better so we can get to the finishing point sooner.

Play often involves storytelling. If your next collection were inspired by a fictional world—real or imagined—what kind of universe would you create through jewellery?

Xin: I've always been intrigued by the extraterrestrial universe—the unknown world beyond, with its infinite forms and shapes to explore. I think I'm already doing that subconsciously throughout my journey.

Looking forward, what new materials or techniques are you excited to explore in your pursuit of playful and experimental jewellery design?

Xin: Stones!

Jewellery has long been about status, sentiment, and sparkle. But if we stripped all that away, what’s the most unexpected reason someone would gravitate towards owning a piece of Thing In Itself?

Xin: That there’s something about THING IN ITSELF that they can’t get anywhere else—a special or even peculiar feeling it gives that’s beyond what we receive from it with our senses.