'Fashion Is My Passion And My Creative Outlet'

She may be a megawatt fixture in the New York fashion scene, but vintage fashion archivist and jewellery designer Lynn Ban will always be a Singaporean girl at heart. On the heels of a homecoming, Ban reveals her best advice for young creatives in Asia looking to chart a path in the fashion world.

- Chandreyee Ray

When Lynn Ban dials in for our Zoom call, it is late on a Monday night in Mexico, where she is enjoying a quick getaway with her husband. She is dressed simply in a navy blue kaftan dress, but true to herself—she still looks glamourous. Accessorised to the nines in big gold hoops and a stack of chunky bracelets, Ban’s statement signet ring flashes in the light as she gesticulates.

Ban’s love for jewellery led her to launch her eponymous fine jewellery label in 2011, offering a range of edgy statement pieces she designs herself—characterised by strong silhouettes, colourful gemstones and pop-art references. Ban’s designs have accrued a long list of celebrity clientele from Rihanna to Beyonce, and popped up in fashion spreads shot by Steven Meisel.

“I still feel like I have more to achieve and further to go in my career. This is only the beginning,” Ban declares. While she has always had a dedicated Instagram following thanks to her idiosyncratic sense of style and unparalleled vintage fashion collection, Ban became a celebrity in her own right this year when she appeared as a main cast member in Bling Empire: New York, the latest spin-off from the hit reality series Bling Empire.