Qeelin is a fine jewellery company established in 2004 in Hong Kong by Dennis Chan and Guillaume Brochard. The brand's products refer to mystical or superstitious symbols strongly embedded in Chinese culture. The name Qeelin comes from the qilin, () a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology.
The company is headquartered in Hong-Kong, and is owned by the French luxury group Kering. Christophe Artaux has been CEO since 2015,
History
Launch in Paris
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 jewellery 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.
Acquisition by Kering
In January 2013, the French luxury group
Kering 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 (7 new stores in the first year), and to launch its first high jewelry collection.
Timeline
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2004: Launch in Paris.
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2004: Qeelin gained worldwide publicity when actress Maggie Cheung wore the Wulu during the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
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2009: Parisian store opened in Palais-Royal.
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2013: Qeelin was acquired by Kering.
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2015: Qeelin started distribution in the USA.
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2018: Chinese actress Gulnazar became Qeelin's brand ambassador.
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2019: Chinese Actor Xiao Zhan became brand ambassador.
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2020: Chinese actress Liu Shishi became Qeelin's brand spokesperson.
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2020: Chinese actor Chen Feiyu became Qeelin's Millennial ambassador.
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2022: Chinese actor Liu Haoran became Qeelin's brand spokesperson.
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2023: Korean singer and actress Im Yoon-ah was the first South Korean artist to become Qeelin's brand spokesperson.
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2023: Chinese actress Liu Shishi became Qeelin's Global brand spokesperson.
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2024: Chinese singer and actor Lay Zhang became Qeelin's Global brand spokesperson.
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2024: Korean singer and actress Im Yoon-ah was the first South Korean artist to become Qeelin's Global brand spokesperson.
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 (
Bo Bo), bells (
Ling Long), kissing goldfish (
Qin Qin), and dogs (
Wang Wang).
In 2009, Qeelin launched a line of rare jadeite jewels.
Retailing
Activities
Qeelin is a Chinese fine jewellery company whose products refer to mystical or superstitious symbols strongly embedded in the Chinese culture. Qeelin uses meticulous craftsmanship to create its China-inspired jewellery, and nurtures a «East meets West» philosophy to appeal to an international audience.
Qeelin is based in Hong Kong SAR and owned by the French luxury group
Kering.
Qeelin opened its first store in Taiwan in 2009, and its first store in Shanghai in 2010.
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
As of 2024 Qeelin operates 139 stores on the world and 66 in China.
Some of those stores include :
Governance
CEOs
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2004-2015: Guillaume Brochard
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Since 2015 Christophe Artaux
Creative directors
See also
External links
