Qeelin is a fine jewelry company. The brand's products refer to mystical or superstitious symbols strongly embedded in the Chinese culture. The name Qeelin comes from the Qilin, an auspicious Chinese mythical animal and icon of love. Qeelin was created in 2004 by Dennis Chan and Guillaume Brochard. The company is headquartered in Hong-Kong and owned by the French luxury group Kering.
The idea of creating a luxury brand strongly embedded in the Chinese culture came to the designer Dennis Chan while visiting the Dunhuang Caves along the Silk Road in 1997. He co-founded with Guillaume Brochard the luxury jewelry company Qeelin in 2004 in Paris. Qeelin's first collection, the Wulu, became a hit after actress Maggie Cheung wore it at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. In 2009, Qeelin opened its first store in Paris, inside the Palais-Royal.
Kering acquisition
In January 2013, the French luxury group PPR acquired a majority stake in Qeelin, the group's first acquisition in China. By then, Qeelin had 50 employees and 14 stores worldwide. The acquisition enabled Qeelin to accelerate store openings, and to launch its first high jewelry collection. In 2015, Guillaume Brochard left the company, and Christophe Artaux became the CEO of Qeelin.
Timeline
2004: Launch in Paris.
2004: Qeelin gained worldwide publicity when actress Maggie Cheung wore the Wulu during the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
2019 : Chinese Actor Xiao Zhan became brand ambassador
Designs
The company's first collection was the Wulu, which revisited the legendary Chinese gourd, an auspicious emblem in Chinese tradition. Often inspired by mythical or superstitious myths, Qeelin's following creations used the symbols of the panda, bells, kissing goldfish, and dogs. In 2009, Qeelin launched a line of rare jadeite jewels. In 2010, Qeelin launched Maggie's bangles, a set of bracelets initially worn by Maggie Cheung. In 2012, Qeelin launched the XiXi collection to celebrate the Lion in the Chinese culture. In 2016, Qeelin collaborated with Chinese visual artistChen Man to design a limited edition of the Bo Bo pendant. In 2017, Qeelin released 8 rooster designs to celebrate the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac.
Retailing
Activities
Qeelin is a Chinese fine jewelry company whose products refer to mystical or superstitious symbols strongly embedded in the Chinese culture. Qeelin uses meticulous craftsmanship to create its China-inspired jewelry, and nurtures a «East meets West» philosophy to appeal to an international audience. Qeelin opened its first store in Taiwan in 2009, and its first store in Shanghai in 2010. In June 2014, the company announced its intention to double in 2 years the number of Qeelin stores in China to 24. In 2015, Qeelin started to retail its products in the USA through a handful of stores, initially to cater to the Chinese diaspora in North America. In 2017, Qeelin opened its first store in Thailand. In 2018, Qeelin chose Chinese actress Gulnazar to become its new brand ambassador.
Retail stores
Qeelin operates 32 stores and 4 Duty-free shops worldwide. Some of those stores include:
