Mimi So, designer of New York, surprises with high quality jewelry inspired by unusual subjects ♦ ︎
Oriental charm, but American accent: Mimi So was born and raised in New York. She is one of those designers who started out with an advantage: she saw precious stones in her parents’ workshop at an early age. Daughter of immigrants from China and Hong Kong. She is the youngest of three brothers. Her parents struggled after emigrating to the United States, but eventually opened three jewelers in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The designer started working in her parents’ shop when she was eight, becoming a third-generation jeweler. Then, she graduated from Parson’s School of Design and started working in an advertising agency. But she returned to the family business, managing one of the stores and creating jewelry for the customers. Mimi opened her boutique on the corner of 5th Avenue and 47th Street in Manhattan’s Diamond District in 1998.
It is not surprising, therefore, that after his studies, Mimi chose to launch the brand with her name. And she wins. So much so that in 2007 Johann Rupert, then president of the Richemont group (in which there are brands like Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Giampiero Bodino) proposed to buy the majority stake in Mimi So. Nothing to do, the designer decided to remain independent and, on balance, did not make a mistake. Her jewels, which often reach four-figure figures, are appreciated and sought after.
Modern and classic at the same time, the style of Mimi So uses colored stones, the designer’s passion, together with unconventional sources of inspiration, like for the collection dedicated to Alice in Wonderland. To give for every day of non-birthday.
