The founder of Lin Liao, Fong-Min Liao, reflects on inheritance, symbolism, and creating objects meant to endure.
Q: What first compelled you to create Lin Liao?
Fong-Min: To be honest, I never planned on creating a jewelry brand. I have a habit of making things I want that do not exist. I think who I really am is a maker at heart. I love making things and bringing things into form. That and I have a very specific taste for things I love.
Q: How has your Chinese heritage shaped the way you understand beauty?
Fong-Min: Oh, in so many ways. My Chinese heritage taught me to slow down to notice the details most people don't bother to look at. It has also taught me to appreciate the simpler things. There is so much beauty around you when you pay attention.
Q: Why did the bi disc feel like the natural place to begin?
Fong-Min: It is one of the oldest symbols in Ancient Chinese history and I love how it has endured for thousands of years. I also love the weight, geometry, and spirit of the bi disc. And honestly, because this is the first object I was searching for myself.
How does being a painter influence the way you design jewelry?
Fong-Min: Being a painter has given me the skill of really seeing. I am very precise about how I want a piece of jewelry to look and feel, from the way it functions to the curves, edges, proportions, and weight. It all matters to me.
What makes an object worthy of being kept?
Fong-Min: I am always asking this to myself when I look at the objects in my home. Of course it being beautiful aesthetically is the first thing that gets me to notice something. Then I look at the significance of the object... why it exists, the story behind the brand, how I connect to it personally. And the way it reveals itself and gathers meaning over time. The objects I keep have to mean something to me.
Q: Who do you imagine living with these Lin Liao pieces?
Fong-Min: The first person I was designing for was myself. So naturally I imagine women similar to me. Women who are curious, who think for themselves, who care deeply about every object they bring into their lives. Women who live between worlds.
Q: What did you hope to bring to jewelry that you had not yet encountered?
Fong-Min: For Lin Liao in particular, I wanted to bridge my understanding of the East and the West and bring it into form with elegance and precision.
Q: What does luxury mean to you now?
Fong-Min: It is definitely not the most expensive thing or whether it has the right logos. What luxury means to me now at this phase of my life is thoughtful design, cultural significance, and the feeling that every detail has been considered.
Q: What do you hope the Bi Disc Talisman necklace comes to represent in the life of its wearer?
Fong-Min: I hope that it serves as a reminder of ever-evolving transformation just as the bi disc has endured all these years. I also love the symbolism of the circle. That all things will eventually return to the beginning at its end. I find that so poetic.
Q: What kind of world are you building through Lin Liao?
Fong-Min: I see the world of Lin Liao as an ancient world expressed through modern stillness.