William Fan’s fine Jewlery line launched at Berlin Fashion Week focuses on Chinese motifs
If you know, you know—a saying heard multiple times at Berlin Fashion Week, which ran from 1-4 July. From the feminine—seen at Rianna + Nina and Horror Vacui—to the harder, typically dark aesthetic of the city seen in collections from Balletshoffer, GmbH and the newly hyped Haderlump at Tempelhof airport—this was a schedule for the insider.
With its understated, exclusive appeal, no brand is better placed than William Fan to embody the fashion week’s insider ethos. Founded in 2015 by the eponymous German designer with Asian heritage, it’s one of the 5,000 small to midsize companies advancing Berlin’s fashion sector. According to the capital’s Senate Department for Economics, Energy, and Public Enterprises, collectively these employ nearly 26,000 workers powering the city’s fashion industry turnover of roughly €5 billion.
With 10 employees, Fan’s contribution comes from a dedicated consumer base in Berlin. Not only that, he said countless shoppers fly into the city—often on private jets—vying for a moment in his company. “Somehow I found a very niche group of people who are crazy about the brand,” he explained at an intimate on-schedule breakfast event at the boutique hotel Château Royal Berlin. The independent brand doesn’t disclose sales figures but turnover is rising: In 2020, it increased 10 times and this year it’s up 6 fold.
This is down to personal visits, private sessions, and a dedicated pop-up strategy based on word of mouth. “Time is the new luxury now and we take a lot of time for the customer,” he says of a 360 approach that can include bespoke styling sessions or travel to the client instead of aggressive marketing tactics. “It’s very private,” he continued, landing on that phrase again—if you know you know.
German Asian designer William Fan’s identity subtly informs his entire design outlook.
Spring Summer 2025’s On Duty collection is a cogent take on various forms of workwear, business wear, and uniforms. Sprinkles of color and sequins punctuate the relaxed collection that runs from evening wear to leotards. Fabrics are manipulated, pleated, or raised in 3 dimensions; wrinkle-resistant, suitcase-friendly finishes for the modern traveler. Matt knitwear and virgin wool are striking against shiny satin and rayon. Body-conscious knitwear (produced in Italy and China) is paired with carpenter trousers or chef jackets. It’s a line-up that’s intentional, detailed, and playful.
An early mentee of Fashion Council Germany (FCG)—which has been revamping the fashion week since 2022—Fan has been on the radar of the Chairwoman Christine Arp for years. “From the very beginning, William was so precise when it came to his design and what he had in mind to create the brand he has today. It was never speaking to one gender but rather was gender fluid,” the former Vogue editor said in between shows on the dynamic schedule of 35 runways plus events, showrooms, and tradeshows.
The dialogues in his collections are “hyper-modern” —a fact Arp puts down to his “questioning mind” and an upbringing in “two cultures.” Around 7 years ago, Fan invented The Cookie Bag—Louis Vuitton and Versace have since released versions of the folded bag that resembles the iconic sweet treat. It’s now a best-selling staple in several iterations.
Fan’s intent on elevating “everyday objects” and injecting “a playful twist” into his designs, his Chinese identity subtly informing his outlook. Spring Summer 2025 debuts a flat bag called The Dumpling which is like “a piece of bread.” A new unisex fine jewelry line unveiled at BFW takes inspiration from items “very close to billions of people” in the typical Asian household. Table Stable revolves around a trio of these daily objects: chopsticks, bowls, and rice grains. The connection to cuisine? William’s childhood as the son of two restaurateurs.
Retailing by order only, the 22-piece collection, produced in Hong Kong and Italy, took over 2 years to make. “I wanted to have my heritage integrated into the jewelry too,” he stated. The collection of stackable designs comes in 18 K gold and more affordable sterling silver versions; chopstick bracelets, rings, and earrings range from €18,500 for gold to €575 for silver; jewelry with dainty rice bowl motifs start at €575 for silver rings with natural green onyx stone and run to €12,500 for gold bowl tower earnings.
William Fan’s Table Stable collection revolves around a trio of objects replicated in sterling … [+]
Florida-based fashion commentator Hanan Besovic who flew to BFW as a guest of FCG outlined the power behind the storytelling. “I love when designers put their childhood and life story into their designs which William did 100% because the collection feels like an homage to his family who owned a Chinese restaurant. Not only is it beautiful jewelry, it’s an authentic backstory about his life. That’s a win-win combination,” the influencer behind @ideservecouture said at the breakfast.
Slowly but surely, William Fan is building out beyond fashion. There’s an eyewear capsule produced in small runs in Japan, not to mention a store on Grosse Hamburger Strasse. But at its heart, it’s the little things that matter—even if they are no bigger than a grain of rice.