Crafting Crystals from Rock Bottom: the Journey of LAIYEN Founder Jady Woo

“Sometimes I imagine a world where we are all fairies, and each of us have our own specialties. I think that’s how I design jewelry, it’s simply my version of tinkering.”

When she was freshly laid off in June 2023, Jady Woo – the eventual founder of her jewelry brand LAIYEN – had also finished school.

“For me this was rock bottom, and it was sort of comforting to know that I could fall no further,” Woo told EnVi. “This is what gave me the courage to pursue my brand — I just took my severance check, and for that month, I poured my energy into finally making LAIYEN happen.”

Launched in July 2023, LAIYEN introduces a fresh twist on Chinese-inspired jewelry through romantic, elegant twines of metal that interlace into mythical, ethereal pieces. LAIYEN’s organic yet mechanical essence is exemplary through its TikTok viral best selling piece, the Luan Choker.

Inspired by the Chinese mythical figure, Chang’é, the Luan Choker’s ornamental, romantic curves perfectly encapsulate the gentle radiance and celestial spirit of the moon goddess, a physical representation of her melancholic tale of self-sacrifice. As one of her first LAIYEN pieces, Woo was also determined to use the Luan Choker to establish her unique artistic identity, one separate from her past experience of working at a well-known brand commonly associated with her identity.

“I wanted people to believe that this was something I was truly capable of on my own, and that I wasn’t just trying to replicate another brand’s success,” Woo said. 

Now, she describes LAIYEN and its website as her “public diary.” An extension of her identities and riddled with reflective narratives with which Woo hopes to inspire her audiences, LAIYEN is the moonstone that Woo crafted during her “rock bottom.” EnVi interviewed Woo over email about LAIYEN, honoring the beauty of her inner child, and building narratives through her craft.

Moonlit Beginnings 

Just like Woo herself, LAIYEN was born on a full moon. It’s no coincidence too, that LAIYEN was specifically born on a buck moon, a symbol for regrowth and the nurturing of new ideas.

Woo’s journey with jewelry began with a close family friend when she was very young, through observing how they had fixed defective jewelry. Throughout the years, she had owned two Etsy shops and worked at art museums, such as the MET.

“I witnessed first hand how the museum was able to transform its spaces to different events and artists,” explained Woo. “It was an incredibly transformative experience and I realized how I really couldn’t leave the arts to pursue a more ‘conventional’ career path.”

Entering college, Woo pursued a bachelor degree in marketing, yet kept finding herself back in the arts and jewelry jobs.

“I realized I was really unfulfilled doing purely business and corporate life; I always felt like I wanted more out of my life. A lot of people told me it would be a shame if I didn’t pursue design — that’s what encouraged me to take a break from school.” 

After leaving school, Woo mainly worked with luxury jewelry consignment and in the authentication process, as well as in fashion jewelry, where she learned more about trendy jewelry designs. Despite never having gone to school for jewelry, Woo fuses her past experiences in the industry into unique “tinkers.”

“When you look at my jewelry you can visualize how it was put together; instead of [the jewelry] being one smooth piece of metal, the different moving parts which help add a lot of movement and mobility to my pieces,” Woo told EnVi. “There’s a comforting simplicity to how it’s put together, but also a challenge to what I can accomplish.”

Digital Diary 

“Each collection is simply just another version of me.” 

The collection, Phase 1, launched LAIYEN into reality, representing Woo’s outermost personality. Inspired by the full moon of Woo’s own birth date, the collection is an idealized version of how Woo wants others to perceive her. 

Woo takes a step further with her next collection, a Selfish Sheep. Slowly peeling into the layers of her true character, it’s a sneak peak and reflective critique of Woo’s raw self as the daughter born in the year of the Sheep. In the page for Florrie Earrings, Woo writes: “they embrace both maturity and purity harmoniously — representing the childish elegance I carry into my adulthood” 

Evident from the pieces’ more “childish silhouettes,” as Woo called it, of hearts, bells, and flowers, this collection embodies Woo’s girlhood. Initially worried that the designs would be weaker compared to Phase 1, Woo’s nostalgic narratives of girlhood steadily led this collection to commercial success as well. 

Although the collection stemmed from themes of self-preservation, naivety, and childish greed, it concluded in a celebration of simplicity and girlhood. 

“It made me realize that there was strength to more “childish” things especially in a time where things are constantly changing and disappearing.” 

“It’s helped me come to the realization of my true character in the present,” explained Woo. 

LaiLing, Mother Tongue (LMT) — LAIYEN’s third and most recent collection — came to Woo in a dream. Her most personal collection by far, LaiLing, Mother Tongue explores Woo’s current and future, as well the worries from her Asian parents once she began to pursue LAIYEN full-time. The collection’s aesthetic takes a modern twist on classical Chinese motifs like the pankou and enamel vases, a rebellious echo on Woo’s own attempt to break traditional notions of job conformity.

“Sometimes being an artist isn’t all about making art, but having the perseverance to keep creating and having the courage to put your name out there,” Woo told EnVi.

An “indirect letter” to her parents, Woo is perhaps honoring her selfish sheep. LAIYEN is the promise to Woo’s younger self. 

“In a way LMT is meant to be a ‘look you finally did it,’ and I hope that LAIYEN can become an inspiration to others that dreams really can come true,” said Woo.

Coming Full Moon(circle) 

If you explore between the pages of LAIYEN’s website, you’ll find prose and poetry scattered between introductions and descriptions.

“I think adding stories evolved my designs and took me from ‘someone who just makes jewelry’ to ‘artist,’” explained Woo. The writings are a more explicit pathway into each version of Woo’s identity, but also a mirror with which she hopes to inspire her audiences.

“I believe that we are all products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners to it,” explained Woo. “I truly believe that this type of emotional confrontation is a necessary step towards true happiness and beauty.”

LAIYEN is not just a jewelry brand, but a space Woo created for her and her audiences to express their individualities. In the future, she hopes to have in-person events in New York and California.

“Listen to your heart, nurture the child you were and take the time to value beauty in this world.”

Interested in more fashion content inspired by Chinese culture? Check out this article on fashion brand DAWANG’s partnership with Tsingtao brewery!