25-09-2019
Themed “From Inspiration to Innovation – The Designer’s Journey of Creativity”, the first JNA Conference held on 19 September 2019 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre received high attendances.
Over 150 designers, students and industry practitioners from more than 25 countries and regions attended the conference, according to organiser JNA. Celebrated designers including Alessio Boschi from Italy, Fei Liu from UK and Sarah Zhuang from Hong Kong were invited to share their insights on brand development and journey to innovation. The sharing was followed by a panel discussion on balancing aesthetics with profitability, winning over younger consumers and the challenges facing jewellery designers.
During the sharing session, Alessio Boschi emphasised the importance of signature style and being open to new influences. “Our mission as jewellery designers is to make people dream. In my particular case, I see no point in making ordinary, commercial and déjà vu jewellery. My creative process starts with the inspiration, the story behind every single collection I make – that is the soul of each single piece,” Alessio Boschi said.
Fei Liu highlighted the essential balance between passion and cash flow. He said: “If you have an empty stomach, passion is not going to support you. You also need the cash flow to sustain the passion. You have to look at the creativity behind the design but also the creativity behind the business.”
Sarah Zhuang said there was a lack of functional jewellery for day and night before she established her eponymous brand. “When I first started the brand, I realised the market was already way too saturated. What could I do to innovate and offer something that was not available yet? I thought about all the busy women in the world so I decided to create jewellery that they could wear on a daily basis and transform into different styles,” she said.
The inaugural JNA Conference was organised by JNA of Informa Markets and sponsored by KGK Group.
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