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Lynn Ban
Singaporean jewelry designer (1972–2025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lynn Ban (simplified Chinese: 万爱萍; traditional Chinese: 萬愛萍;[1][2][3] May 27, 1972 – January 20, 2025) was a Singaporean jewelry designer who was noted for her unconventional designs.[4][5] She starred in Bling Empire: New York, a reality show on Netflix.[6][7] Her clients included Rihanna and Beyoncé.[8] Other musical artists who wore her statement pieces included Billie Eilish, Cardi B, Doja Cat, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Post Malone, and many others.[9][10][11]
Vogue described her jewelry collection as "a favorite of pop icons because of its unique rebellious and rock-and-roll vibe", often featuring in fashion shoots to signal "that their wearers were tough, unapologetic, and unafraid of the world".[9] Recurring motifs in her edgy jewelry pieces included ancient armor, beetles, bullets, crosses, handcuffs, razors, thorns, and sickle blades.[10][12]
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Early life and education
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Born in Singapore, Lynn Ban first moved to the United States at age 4.[10] At the time, her father David Ban was a banker at Chase Manhattan Bank.[13] Her mother Patricia Ban was a former secretary.[13] She also had a younger sister.[13] Their family moved every few years and lived in cities around the world, returning to Singapore briefly when Lynn was in her teens.[13]
Ban credited her mother, a certified gemologist, for nurturing her interest in fashion from a young age with shopping trips to Bloomingdale's and Club 21.[13][14] She studied art history and literature at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University,[13] and went on to study French literature and art history at Cornell University.[15] She also spent two years at Sorbonne University in Paris.[15]
After graduating, Ban opened a Genki Sushi franchise in midtown Manhattan with Jett Kain as her business partner in 1998.[16][15][17] It was the chain's first foray in to the United States; her father had launched Genki Sushi in Singapore and Hong Kong.[16][15] During this period in the late 1990s, she was a collector of both vintage and contemporary fashion for her personal library.[17][14] She sold the New York restaurant franchise after the 2001 World Trade Center attack.[15]
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Career
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Ban started her professional career in fashion as a curator of vintage couture for Barneys New York.[5] In 2002, she launched Lynn Ban Vintage at Barneys, selling vintage fashions from Chanel, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent.[13][15] She also did pop-ups of Lynn Ban Vintage at Harvey Nichols in London, as well as Celux, a private members' club in the Louis Vuitton Building in Tokyo.[10][15]
Lynn Ban Jewelry
In 2011, Lynn Ban launched her eponymous jewelry line.[13] Her first collection was distributed by Barneys, Dover Street Market, Matches Fashion, Maxfield, and Net-a-Porter.[10] Retailer Club 21 in Singapore started stocking her jewelry pieces in 2012.[18] One of her most iconic pieces included the sculpted silver Armor ring, worn stacked to resemble armor.[18] [12] Another signature piece was her Gash cuff made of black rhodium with diamonds embedded to resemble a jagged wound.[18]
Her big break was when pop star Rihanna wore a cuff designed by Ban while performing on American Idol in 2012.[13][15] Rihanna became a celebrity champion for Ban's jewelry, and was often spotted wearing her pieces in music videos, on tour, and in public appearances.[13][9] Commissioned to create jewelry for Rihanna to wear in her W magazine photo shoot in 2016, Ban designed a claw armor ring that she compared to a weapon, in keeping with the issue's "baddest bitch of the post-apocalypse" theme.[19][20]
Ban collaborated with her on custom jewelry for Rihanna's Fenty x Puma collection, which debuted in 2016.[21] In February 2018, The Adventurine called out Fenty x Puma for "the coolest jewelry" at New York Fashion Week, noting Rihanna's collaboration with Ban on "the collection of big, bold colorful baubles, that also maintained a sporty vibe".[22] They became close, with Rihanna referring to Ban as her "fairy godmother".[9][23][24] When asked what type of woman inspired her, Ban cited Rihanna, saying, "She's my type: empowered, strong, and dangerous."[12]
Ban's jewelry featured in Beyoncé's 2013 visual album, Beyoncé.[9] Memorable pieces designed by Ban included the stacked rings worn in "Haunted" and "Superpower".[9] Beyoncé wore Ban again in the videos for the singles "Formation" (2016) and "Spirit" (2018).[9]
Ban debuted a line of handbags in 2018.[25] One of the first handbags was a limited-edition evening minaudière featuring a heavy gold bullion bar and doubling as a necklace.[25][15] Another miniaudière in the line was described by Ban as a "Swarovski crystal-encrusted Ziggy lightning bolt".[15]
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, she scaled back her jewelry business to focus only on private clients, and planned to relaunch it following Bling Empire: New York.[10]
Bling Empire: New York
In 2021, Ban was approached by producer Jeff Jenkins to appear in Bling Empire: New York, a spin-off of the Netflix hit reality TV series Bling Empire.[13] She agreed to join the cast, which included fashion stylist and influencer Tina Leung.[10][13] Initially cautious, she told Women's Wear Daily that she took the opportunity to "represent Asian career women" and counter the "stereotype of Crazy Rich Asians".[10]
Shooting took place between January and March 2022, with cameras filming Ban's every move.[13] During the series, she dressed in dramatic designer ensembles, exclusively from her extensive personal collection of couture.[14] Ban made her television debut wearing a "spectacular" black leather dress covered in long spiky needles, created by Noir Key Ninomiya.[14]
The show also featured footage of Ban's debut party for her ready-to-wear resort collection, featuring clothing made by local artisans in Bali.[26] The collection was a partnership with COMO Hotels and Resorts, which carried the line at 12 resort shops in locations such as Bali, The Maldives, Parrot Cay, and Phuket.[26][10]
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Personal life and death
Ban was married to Jett Kain, a former MTV producer and creator of the first VH1 Fashion and Music Awards, who was her business partner.[13][14] They had a son.[13] She lived in Tribeca in Manhattan.[27]
Ban was in a skiing accident in the Aspen Highlands on December 24, 2024, and underwent an emergency craniotomy after a CT scan revealed a brain bleed.[28][29] On December 30, 2024, she shared photos of herself in the hospital on Instagram, explaining that she had "face planted" on a ski slope while wearing a helmet, and wrote, "And in the blink of an eye ... life can change."[30]
According to an Instagram post by her son three weeks later, Ban died on January 20, 2025.[31] Her husband found her unconscious and unresponsive that afternoon at their home in New York City.[32][27] She was 52 years old.[4][33]
References
External links
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