Meet Ada Chen, the Asian artist that is breathing a new life in jewelry designs and pop-culture creating a media buzz online.

Fashion industry has taken the next step in its trajectory, with emerging lines and brands catering to women of color and consumers of every ethnicity. Finally, Asian women are clapping back to represent the multicultural market we live in.

Ada Chen, a designer major and bonafide creative, she has been able to build a successful contemporary jewelry brand that mirrors and lifts women, Asians and Asian Americans.

Her viral collection “Text Message” earrings blew up online due to its realness and relatability. From her brand’s minimal online presence is the fact that behind the scenes, it’s a powerhouse. The San Francisco born artist is confronting and shattering fetishes and stereotypes.

Her cut-throat yet playful designs built connectivity and lead her to Teen Vogue, Vice, Refinery, Fader, I-D and more.

So what’s the story and driving force behind this remarkable demand and brand performance? It has a lot to do with the brand’s founder. I spoke with Ada and here’s what she had to say about her works from inspirations, identity, operations, and beyond:

Can you walk us through your brand and how you carved out its aesthetic and audience?

My brand started as my thesis collection for my final year at Pratt Institute. I majored in jewelry and I wanted to find a way to express my exploration of identity in my craft. As an Asian American woman, I realized that our experiences had not yet heavily penetrated pop culture. My aesthetic is heavily based on that because it plays a significant role in popularizing identity politics and because it is highly accessible. The viral text message earrings is proof of that.

Well, I am absolutely in love with the text-based earrings. What’s the story?

Both earrings are based on real conversations I’ve had with non-Asian men who wanted to hook up. They were just so ridiculous and so representative of what Asian women have to deal with in the dating scene. I made my thesis collection to represent multiple aspects of being Chinese and/or Asian in America, and this piece represents the Asian fetish aspect of it. They are an explicit depiction of ignorance that I hope will stymie non-Asian men from being this disrespectful to Asian women.