The jeweller—and BFF—of celebrities aims to empower women through her designs.

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Lynn Ban

Nobody would dare call Lynn Ban “basic”. Not Lady Gaga, not Beyoncé and certainly not Rihanna. The 44-year-old jeweller, born in Singapore and moved to New York when she was four, launched her namesake brand in 2011.

Not just your regular designer, Ban’s accessories—such as her claw rings and blade choker—have amassed a long list of pop-star following including Madonna and Ellie Goulding. Her signature bold and provocative designs that speak to the modern and fearless crowd have graced many a magazine cover and featured in fashion and video shoots alike. 

“To provoke is to cause a strong reaction and I always believe that I would rather someone love or hate a piece of my jewellery than have no opinion about my designs at all,” she says. “I want to make jewellery that you have to have. To me, a design that does not provoke or make one feel is mediocre at best.

“I don’t do basic.”

Rihanna, a dear friend of Ban, has a particularly cosmic relationship with the designer. So close are the two that the former not only requested Ban to custom make some pieces for her personal wardrobe, Ban has also designed exclusive jewellery for Rihanna’s tours and dressed the models for the Fenty Puma by Rihanna spring/summer 2017 collection.

Rihanna is known to call Ban her “fairy godmother”. But unlike the soft-spoken fairy godmothers we’ve seen in cartoons, Ban’s dark locks, even darker eyeliner and sun-kissed glow conjure an image of an unmistakable, commanding #girlboss.

“I want women to feel empowered when they’re wearing my designs,” she says. We hear you, sister. We hear you.

Fashion is often a mirror of the times. What do you think are the defining qualities of a woman in this decade?
Lynn Ban
This is the decade of the super woman. She has her own career, family, lifestyle and she can have it all. She works hard and plays hard—hopefully in my jewellery!

You describe your jewellery to be strong and unapologetic. What does that mean?
Ban
Being strong and unapologetic means that you’re always playing by your own rules and you don’t necessarily care what everyone else thinks.

Where does your strength come from?
Ban
Strength comes from integrity, a strong work ethic and values. It’s the life experiences and challenges that you face along the way that shape who you are and build your confidence. This is something my parents taught me.

What has been the defining moment in your career?
Ban
It’s got to be when I started working with Madonna. I grew up listening to her music and I’ve always been inspired by her incredible sense of style, ambition, drive and her longevity as a performer. She’s an icon and when she started wearing my jewellery, it was, and still is, a defining moment for me. 

Your work refers to sensuality often. What is the most sensuous part of a woman?
Ban
The ear is a sensual and erogenous zone. I was inspired by the trend of multiple ear piercings so I created ear cuffs to embellish different parts of the ear. A fashion chameleon can be punk one day wearing my ear cuffs up and down the ear, or just edge up her diamond studs with my pave orbital hoop that normally requires a painful and large piercing in the inner ear.

You have a long-standing working relationship with Rihanna. Tell us about that.
Ban I have been so fortunate to collaborate with Rihanna on four of her tours, numerous videos, editorials, her Fenty Puma show and also for her personal dressing. She has been so supportive and I am so grateful to her. She is incredibly smart, talented and loyal. She’s beautiful inside out and very funny. I adore her!

Feminism is a recurring topic in media this year and there’s a lot of chatter about women owning their sexuality. Do you think your pieces represent that ownership and strength?
Ban
Most definitely. I hope they do!

Interview by Jolene Khor.

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