Samantha Siu Interview by Brian James
Jewellery designer Samantha Siu draws from the stimulus of her Chinese heritage and New York upbringing to create beautiful hand-crafted pieces that thrill the eye and that are imbued with instant heirloom status. That fusion of Eastern and Western influences extends beyond the artisanal excellence which defines her art to the ethical intentionality which lies at the heart of all she does.
Her sophisticated, statement jewellery fully deserves to be admired and acquired as the hero pieces they are, however each piece also acts as a catalyst and entry point for deeper conversations about the world we live in and how we can all take small steps to change that world for the better. While many designers talk about world-building, Samantha Siu’s ethos is one that is also world-changing. It’s one committed to using its platform to give back to marginalised communities that lack the type of basic medical provision we take for granted, a charitable undertaking that she pursues through her non-profit Phoenix Foundation initiative.
Taking us to new and better places through the power of design, Samantha was recently in London to receive an award at the highly prestigious Boutique Star Awards ceremony held in Mayfair.
Avesso caught up with Samantha during that visit to ask about this industry recognition, the sustainable and ethical practices that underpin all she does and her ambitions and aspirations for the future.
Congratulations on your award at the 2024 Boutique Star “Jewellery and Watch Brand of the Year" event. How did it feel to be nominated and to win one of those awards?
It's an honour to be nominated at all and to be recognised of course and that means that the message is spreading and our purpose is spreading. To win anything , to be recognised officially I think that's it’s the highest honour in my jewellery career thus far.
2. How would you like to use this award as a platform to take Samantha Siu to the next level?
To really reach out and spread our message , our brand message . Of course it's about sustainability , it's about beautiful jewellery and great craftsmanship. But I think it's also about the people in the company as well. It’s a whole package.
We have really wonderful women leaders in our business and it's funny because there was a conversation last night , because there's not enough women minority brands that cohesively work together and try to build something for the bigger purpose. And our purpose is on many levels such as conservation , animal conservation , education enhancement , or medical impact. We want to do projects and go to countries and impact those countries in little small pockets of experience. We also want to be this inclusive message that there's power within places that you don't think there would be.
3. For people that are new to the brand, how would you condense the essence of your vision and values?
There are so many ways but I would say do good.
4. You recently had the “Bespoke” campaign. In what ways was that an extension of the “A Love Affair” collection and the bracelets that you released last year?
The “Bespoke” campaign was actually a message from the team itself. It was the first time that I kind of let go and really let the brand form into a beautiful amalgam, and become much more of a collaboration, a collective image. And so for me it sends a very strong message of where we’re going , of what we can be and I’m just honoured to be part of the team itself. We had a wonderful photographer and he had good experience and a nice resume and we had a nice stylist who as well as Creative Director is also our Operations Manager.
5. Sustainability underpins everything you do so could you talk to us about the sustainable practices and techniques that you follow?
Following on from our desire to do sustainability through design, a lot of our pieces are interchangeable, they’re multi-wear , they can be used and worn in many different ways. And that’s because we want to reduce our carbon footprint , we want to keep what we have already and take really good care of it and be able to love and preserve it and create many good moments with it because there's so much wear to it and so many possibilities to the designs. So, of course you purchase less and it's being able to change human behaviour through design.
6. In terms of you selling your creations and them also being timeless, is there a dichotomy between sustainability and being commercially viable and how do you square that circle?
It’s very hard because a lot of the time the goods that I’m making are not just costume jewellery , they’re not just the lower metals like brass, it's actually made from 18 carat micron plated gold over silver so you really do get the value. And the conversation of price has always been on the table with my team and I because I want to keep the price as low as possible so that it is attainable, it is affordable. A lot of the time I have to consider specifications and because market prices go up I have to raise the price to market prices. It’s very much a process of give and take.
7. What impact do you feel the U.S election results will have on the brand and the market?
In my personal view I’ve been through this before. We’ll see and I know how to handle myself and it's about being adaptable and being very aware of your surroundings and what you say to certain people. I think I have the luxury in society , to keep it calm and to keep it peaceful.
8. In terms of that adaptability, how does your Chinese heritage and New York upbringing inform you as a designer?
Both immensely. It’s my work ethic and I’d say if not for my family I would not have had the experiences which I’ve had that allowed me to see the world at an early age. The Chinese culture you will see in the jewellery through the workmanship and through ideas and through the central point of starting from wax carving. It’s definitely impacted my upbringing because my family are Chinese jewellery manufacturers so how they view jewellery. Perhaps because they were mass producers I strayed away from that perhaps trying to do something from the opposite.
9. Can you tell us about the artisanal craftsmanship that goes into your designs and steps that go into making a piece?
It starts from design. What is it that I think we are trying to change, what behaviour are we trying to change for the people who are wearing it. So I started with the necklaces and then subsequently with the bracelets I started to think about the purpose of multi-length bracelets and what would be the length that I would create as a standard. I realised that for the purpose of having to design your bracelet , depending on how tight or how loose you wanted it to be , at the same time it had to be size-inclusive. So there's many layers to it and when I see that there's even multiple layers to it , I walk towards it and that’s how the bracelets became the inclusive bracelet collection.
10. How important is it to you to preserve and showcase the skills of the artisans you use, and who do you use to make your jewellery?
For my team and I it's really going down the path of trial and error in terms of branding and design. So creating a team itself is very hard but it's also in everything we do. Of course I began with wax carving myself and I then partnered with wax carvers in China. It was very hard to find wax carvers and it’s still hard to find them there or anywhere in the world actually. So then I partnered with a great manufacturer in Thailand. These are all just partnerships, components of the brand, the teamwork that it takes to create wonderful products.
You need to have highly skilled, daring partners who are willing to take a chance because I'm a small business, a specialty jewellery brand. I don't make a lot but I make hard things so it's that give and take of do I want to do this , do I believe in this person. And of course the United States as well , I work with up and coming designers and am trying to formulate a team in New York as well , a craftsman team
11. A big part of that world-building and change-making is the Phoenix Foundation so maybe you could tell us about that?
The Phoenix Foundation is the heart and soul of the company because the reason why I started my jewellery company was because I wanted to put works that I had been doing in the spotlight because volunteer trips and volunteer work are incredibly important to my life. I started my non-profit career as a missionary so because that changed my life I knew that always had to be part of me and everything that I do. So that’s why I created the Phoenix International Foundation and we focus on projects that will be able to help in any medical ways , such as we have pop-up clinics in developing villages and we bring doctors, nurses, anyone that wants to volunteer. We have a home , a place where you join the team , where you do triage, and you see for example if they have high blood pressure if that's quickly fixable , and if not we direct them to a hospital. Those little pockets of moments, I know they really change every person in that space.
12. How much does your faith inform that and how much does it inform the business
In true honesty and it's the first time I've said it , in every capacity.
13. In terms of the beautiful jewellery that you create , how do want the person who wears it to feel about themselves and the world around them.
There are so many people that have told me that they are afraid to wear the necklaces because they felt they wouldn't look good in them. And I think it's incredibly important for anyone to feel that they can wear anything and be able to create it in their own way. Because if you wear the necklace you know that it’s not just a huge motif on the front you also have quiet stones in the back and that's a very standard type of design so if you want to go edgy you can.
I've also been told that when you finally do wear it it’s lighter than you thought it would be and that it’s a wow piece and you don't have to do anything to feel that you’re in that wow moment.
14. We’re here in London and what does London mean to you and how important has London been to the development and growth of the brand?
London is the catalyst of where my growth started , it’s the catalyst of where I've been finally recognised, as although I am a foreigner , as someone who still belongs here. And so it's my home base but unfortunately New York has my heart. I aspire to someday move here.
15. We’re moving towards the end of 2024 so what are your ambitions and aspirations for 2025?
So we’re growing and I think we’re at that point where we are starting to scale. We are formulating how to get there now and we’re starting to go out there and partner with people who want to partner with us , to scale. And so , I’m starting to focus on that now, it’s a new venture. I’m open to listening and learning and I’m excited to see where that takes us. The team is growing in itself and I can't believe , I think we’ve increased our team numbers by 600% ,that means we started very very low, but it's incredibly beautiful to see because people are not just seeing from the outside but on the inside they are realising the real purpose, because they do the work for me and they’re willing to go into the trenches with me. And they’re willing to see where it takes us so it’s beautiful to see within the team itself how we’re growing and forming.
I always take that moment to reflect and really see what’s the purpose of it all. I think today's designers, today's way of purchasing , everyone is more educated and they know that doing research is a huge component of investing , especially monetarily. I think doing your homework is incredibly important because what you wear is a staple of who you are. I can’t wait for everyone to get to know our brand.
There’s an authenticity to all that Samantha Siu does , from the production processes that bring her stunning jewellery designs to life to the philanthropic vision and charitable values which lie at the core of her and her brand’s identity.
If fashion is a vehicle to communicate stories , Samantha Siu is one of fashion’s most accomplished storytellers. Not only sharing the story of those artisans whose meticulous craftsmanship bring her stunning jewellery to life but also in sharing the message that fashion can play its part in driving social and environmental change. A jewellery maker and a change-maker , we look forward to following her on the next steps in her professional and philanthropic journey.
