From the outside, this humble building is stacked with homogeneous red bricks, and the teak boards around the windows form a cube, which is no exception for Stephanie Zhou. When she stepped into the space, magic happened. “When you walk in, you will see this marble staircase. Going further inside, in the main atrium, there is an amazing skylight that illuminates the entire interior, which seems to bring strength and tranquility to this place. I can sing, and this one can sing. I remember thinking that this was such a magical place at the time, and I felt completely relaxed,” Choo recalled. The building in question: Phillips Exeter College Library designed by the late Louis Khan in New Hampshire, USA.
Choo is a typical Singaporean student, and his success story will delight traditional Asian parents. She decided to study engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). But in her life, she felt that there was a kind of emptiness in her soul that her star class could not fill. “I want to write poetry, but I haven’t found the right language to express it.”
Therefore, at the beginning of the second year at MIT, she studied the Introduction to Architecture module on a whim. The trip to the library is part of the class. But it changed her entire life and filled the emptiness with architectural language. Five years ago, Choo founded the jewelry brand Eden + Elie (pronounced Eden and Elie), named after her two children, Eden and Eliot. At that time she had left the construction industry and wanted to build something, combine her concerns, and make an impact through design. “After constructing the huge building, I found it worked well on an intimate scale,” Choo said.
Eden + Elie is an ode to slower time. Unlike traditional jewelry making, which usually uses heavy equipment to smelt, cast or weld parts, Choo and her craftsmen stitch, weave and bead by hand. At the core of each piece are many tiny Miyuki seed beads. For example, one of Eden + Elie’s bestsellers, a beautiful wide gold bracelet from Everyday Modern Collection, has 3,240 beads. Each bead is sewn on a slightly larger area than a smartphone. The length of each bead is One millimeter. “Like architecture, time is also a language for me. It is an integral part of the creative process. When you are studying or experimenting, it takes time. When you do something in a hurry, you may destroy it. . It is the invisible time you put into your craft to finally get results on the road,” Choo explained.
“Like architecture, time is also a language for me. It is an integral part of the creative process.”
The time spent on her craft makes it difficult for her to expand her business, and this is how co-founder Leon Leon Toh came into the picture. They met at a business social event in 2017, when Choo was looking for people to support her journey, and Toh was looking for companies that worked hard to do good. Eden + Elie What impressed Toh was how the manifestation of time became the core of his business identity. “Of course, we can hire 20 more people in China or build parts faster, but this goes against our original intention. The time it takes to create each exquisite product gives it heart and soul, and this is just to capture this in business. Mental issues.” The strategy is working. From Choo becoming the sole designer, the team has expanded to 11 craftsmen, 10 of whom have autism to meet the demand.
Choo identified the Autism Resource Center as a suitable partner and hired 10 members. Adults with autism usually have a high degree of concentration and concentration, and are very accurate-all of these are valuable assets of Eden + Elie. The brand has also collaborated with organizations such as The Ascott and Singapore Airlines, which created a limited-edition jewelry collection inspired by Peranakan culture and the iconic blue kebaya.
However, being recognized as a changemaker did not attract their attention. They still take time to build the future, just as patience is the core element of their jewelry. Toh sums it up best: “When you want to build a good business, you can go fast. But if you want to build a great business, you need time.”
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