Creating from the Heart with MING YU WANG
office spoke with Wang, in honor of AAPI month, about how creating space to champion her identity in the industry, creating from the heart, and some of her treasured memories growing up in Taipei.
How does your Taiwanese-American heritage inform the way you approach your brand?
I feel like the brand was really an outlet for my identity and my culture. Now we're having these conversations about heritage and I love it. I especially love hearing about other people's stories — before it didn't seem like people wanted to know but actually my story is written through my collection.
Tell me about some of your earliest, meaningful memories growing up in Taipei.
I loved watching my mom and aunties play Mahjong. In my eyes they looked like movie stars, wearing pearls and all dressed up. They were so glamorous and had so much style. I also loved getting breakfast by my elementary school in Taipei. The cold noodles (涼麵 / liang mian) and the omelets (蛋餅 / dan bing) are still my favorite things to eat and I visit these same shops when we go back every year.
Tell me about how you handle your creative process, as you make every piece yourself, here in New York City.
I like to start designing by sketching my ideas on paper, then shape these ideas using Sculpey or wax before sending them in for 3D models and casting. I enjoy sculpting shapes and forms with my hands; it really helps me spark new ideas and inspirations.
Your pieces subtly reference emblems or details from your upbringing. In what ways do you pay homage to your culture through your jewelry?
I love using freshwater pearls and Mother of Pearls with a modern twist to them. Traditionally, they were more common as gifts for celebrations but I've been seeing them as a connection to my culture. I also love incorporating sentimental Chinese characters like woman (女 / nu) and human (人 / ren) in my designs to spotlight my heritage.
Your fine-jewelry pieces are also informed by architecture. What sparked your interest in architectural shapes and gestural silhouettes?
I studied evening wear at FIT and, to me, evening wear is about structure and volume. I think my experience there is what sparked my interest in architectural shapes and gestural silhouettes. I started seeing the parallels between the two industries and that led to many new ideas for my collection.
When you started your brand in 2013, what drove your decision to use your Chinese name as the official brand name?
It was a way for me to define my work life in New York where everyone knew me as Jennifer — my Americanized name — and to give a new identity to the characters that my grandparents chose for me when I was born. Incidentally, MING YU WANG means King of Jade so maybe my path to making jewelry was already laid out.
You employ ethically-sourced gemstones, pearls, and recycled sterling silver and brass. Why was deciding to work with these types of environmentally-conscious materials important to you?
I think growing up as a Buddhist always provided this type of perspective on our world and all of its living things. When I became a mom, these topics became even more important to me. It became my stance on what kind of world I want to leave behind for my child.
Your first-ever capsule collection recently launched, which includes five precious jade bangles in honor of AAPI heritage month. Why is jade a highly-regarded resource in Taiwanese culture and what did creating this capsule mean to you?
Jade is the most highly valued mineral in many Asian cultures. During the early Chinese dynasties (c. 2070-256 BC), jade was used exclusively by royalty and nobility. Poetically the Chinese character Yu which designates jade — and more generally beauty and preciousness — is very similar to the character Wang which refers to the king. Ritual objects in jade were commonly used by Chinese emperors. On a personal note, the name I was given by my grandparents includes both the character jade (玉 / Yu) and king (王 / Wang). It feels extra special to launch my first jade capsule in honor of AAPI month. I feel that raising awareness for the AAPI community through my creativity is personally rewarding. I can help share the beauties of Asian culture and bring a spotlight to the heritage and values that we're celebrating.
As you continue to evolve and grow MING YU WANG, how will you continually elevate your designs while also consistently weaving in your cultural heritage?
I think having my brand helped me tap deeper into my roots and heritage. I love the idea of sharing my culture through my designs and I will continue to do so using ethically-sourced materials. I also believe evolving creatively is being able to learn and listen to what design means to us at this moment and creating based on that as well.
