SINGAPORE – It’s night in New York and Singapore-born jewelry designer Lynn Ban is kicking again at residence within the American metropolis, having fun with her previous couple of days of relative anonymity.
Her identify may not ring a bell with most Singaporeans now, however this may increasingly change with Bling Empire: New York, which premieres on Netflix on Friday.
“I’m simply making an attempt to form of get my relaxation at the start subsequent week,” she tells The Straits Instances over a video name, referring to the extremely anticipated present, a spin-off of Netflix’s massively profitable Bling Empire sequence (2021 to current).
Ban, a mom of 1 who celebrated her fiftieth birthday along with her household in Morocco final Might, is the quintessential Asian magnificence, with lengthy, black tresses and a sculpted physique.
“I train each day. I dance, play tennis and do pilates and yoga. I work out so I can eat,” she says, laughing. “I normally eat six meals a day once I go residence to Singapore.”
Ban’s dad and mom reside within the Orchard Highway space, and she or he returns to go to them each summer time. A property tycoon, her father David Ban, 79, is the chief director of Kuala Lumpur-based developer Venus Property, which owns 4 Seasons Place in Malaysia, an built-in improvement comprising a mixture of personal residences, lodge and retail area. He additionally launched Japanese eatery Genki Sushi in Singapore and Hong Kong.
When Lynn Ban was simply 4, the household determined to pack up and transfer to the Large Apple due to her father’s job.
“He was a banker on the time. When the chance to work overseas got here up, all of us went. It’s a basic immigrant story. He studied in enterprise faculty whereas he labored (at Chase Manhattan Financial institution),” says the designer, who has a youthful sister.
Propelled by Mr Ban’s profession, the household continued to maneuver each few years, dwelling in numerous cities around the globe. They then returned to Singapore briefly when Ban was a youngster.
“I believe that shifting often from a younger age has undoubtedly made me extra adaptable and open to new experiences and alternatives. I’m not afraid of change, however welcome the problem and journey that it brings,” she says.
She additionally attributes her sturdy work ethic to her father. “My dad is self-made and I look as much as him and all his accomplishments.”
Ban’s mom, Patricia, is a Gemological Institute of America-certified gemologist and nurtured her love of trend. The style-savvy former secretary, 78, left her profession to deal with her youngsters.
Ban remembers their little purchasing detours to US luxurious division retailer Bloomingdale’s on her walks to and from faculty.
She determined to settle completely in New York Metropolis after graduating in artwork historical past and literature from the Gallatin College of Individualised Research.
Drawn to classic clothes and jewelry and “their distinctive, timeless designs and provenance”, Ban launched Lynn Ban Classic at Barneys New York in 2002, promoting classic couture from Chanel and Valentino. However she closed the outfit when she began her eponymous customized jewelry line in 2011.
She received her massive break not lengthy after, when the cuff she designed was noticed on Barbadian pop star Rihanna throughout a efficiency on American Idol.
Whereas Rihanna is Ban’s greatest champion, sporting the designer’s jewelry on her excursions, appearances, music movies and her Fenty Puma assortment, she is just not the one movie star fan.
Ban’s clientele reads like a who’s who within the music business, from pop queen Madonna to rapper Submit Malone.
“My design philosophy is to create an announcement piece, one thing that hasn’t been seen earlier than or a twist on one thing conventional. Its design ought to nonetheless be timeless, daring but practical,” she says, including that one of the vital extravagant items she designed is a customized gemstone-encrusted full-finger claw ring with a 10-carat emerald as its centrepiece.
Her jewelry, which may value upwards of 5 figures, might be discovered at Membership 21’s flagship boutique on the 4 Seasons Lodge in Singapore.
Ban additionally doubles as a social media influencer, with greater than 139,000 followers on Instagram. Her account @lynn_ban offers a glimpse into her distinctive sartorial decisions, from a psychedelic Jean Paul Gaultier jumpsuit at a ski resort to a classic emerald Pierre Balmain couture shirt and Valentino sizzling pants combo out on Lake Placid in New York.
These garments ship a transparent message – that Ban is something however boring.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmclgf0uJq_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Destiny had different plans for the designer as properly.
On the finish of 2021, she was approached by American tv producer Jeff Jenkins, whose hit actuality sequence embody Preserving Up With The Kardashians (2007 to 2021) and The Easy Life (2003 to 2007).
Jenkins was searching for forged members to star within the spin-off to his newest present – Bling Empire, already certainly one of Netflix’s most-watched docuseries on the time. Ban was the proper match.
“Initially, I used to be apprehensive about being filmed 24/7 as a result of, though I’ve achieved many photograph shoots and interviews, it was by no means something like this. However it was an thrilling alternative,” says Ban, including that she is aware of Jenkins’ work and is a fan of the Los Angeles sequence and forged member Christine Chiu, a Taiwanese-American businesswoman.
She additionally is aware of Singaporean forged member Kane Lim: They related on social media and would ship one another messages on occasion.
Ban finally mentioned sure and the group started filming her each transfer for 3 months from January to March in 2022. She quickly realised that the cameras have been the least of her worries.
“After some time, you neglect the cameras are there and I used to be simply myself. (It turned out) the most important problem was deciding what to put on,” she says.
Bling Empire: New York will provide viewers a glimpse into her private {and professional} life which, judging from her Instagram posts, can get fairly busy, with holidays at far-flung tropical islands and trend shoots for magazines.
Her teenage son is now off at boarding faculty in London, however Ban’s husband and enterprise accomplice of 27 years – former producer and reporter for MTV Jett Kain, 54 – will seem alongside her within the sequence.
“He’s instrumental in constructing our model. He’s liable for the publicity and all of the initiatives that we did,” she says.
It additionally helps that Ban believes in being her “genuine self” always. She insists she is similar individual, whether or not on digital camera or off it.
“I’m very direct, respectful and sincere. What you see is what you get. I believe in the event you attempt to painting one thing else, it wouldn’t look pure,” she says.
When the sequence airs, she will likely be tuning in to Netflix together with the remainder of the world. “I noticed the trailer and it seems good. I can’t wait to see it,” she says. “It’s form of like Christmas.”
This article was first revealed in The Straits Instances. Permission required for replica.
