Celebrating a decade in the industry, State Property’s Afzal Imram reflects on their identity and where the brand sees itself in the Singapore and global jewellery industry.
Text by: Karen Fong
For over a decade, State Property has risen to become one of Singapore’s most well-known modern jewellery brands. Their sleek, minimalist, industrial-inspired pieces combine sleek design and modern finishings with precious metals and stones into highly wearable pieces that make excellent showstoppers or daily wear.
Started by Afzal and his wife Lin Ruiyin, the brand combines both their expertise, with Ruiyin a jewellery designer and Afzal an industrial designer. The look and feel of their products is a decidedly modern and international take on the Singapore perspective. “A global mindset is itself very Singaporean,” says Afzal, “Our designs take on influences from everywhere around the world, but we pair them with our Singaporean sensibilities to quality, craftsmanship and value,” he adds.
Afzal see’s their work as part of a larger cosmos of Singapore design. “I feel like you can see glimpses of what could be,” he says, noting that many local fashion brands tend to create clothes that are more on the casual side, reflecting the country’s pragmatic nature. “I can see this in which State Property pieces do well here too,” he adds. “Elevated, but versatile and not overly dressy.”
But he also dismisses the idea of a fixed Singapore identity, feeling it’s too early for the nation (or their brand) to box themselves in. “This is the fun part where we get to work on defining what it is that makes it Singaporean,” he says. “We feel that to limit ourselves to just a few design elements to represent our national identity is difficult and perhaps counter-productive. Now’s the time to experiment and explore what our design identity is, to define it.”
Exploration has been part of the brand’s design ethos from the beginning. Collections have taken inspiration from everything, from historic Southeast Asian floral carvings in their capsule Warisan collection in collaboration with the Singapore Fashion Council and the Asian Civilisation Museum, to the idea of space and filling voids on the body, as seen in their inaugural collection Substate.
When it comes to designing their pieces, Afzal says they always focus on design first before working them into various materials. “So materials actually come later in our consideration when developing a piece,” he says. “That said, I think my favourite materials have to be pearls and mother-of-pearl. There’s something so captivating about them and the texture of the colours in their layers.”
There is always a balance in State Property’s designs, between nature and science. Their use of structured silhouettes combine with precious metals stands in contrast to the soft lines of the body. The result are adventurous pieces that are stylish and edgy.
Inspiration can come in many forms, and most recently, they have looked to their four year-old son for their latest collection. “To mark our tenth year, we were inspired by our son’s imagination and a story he told us that takes us through space on a hunt for a golden egg. The collection is whimsical, featuring railroad tracks, the aforementioned egg and delightful toadstools depicted in 18k gold, diamonds and enamel in bold, bright colours. Throughou the collection’s creation, the design duo were intent on keeping their son’s innocent imagination present in their work. A combination of wide-eyed wonder and sophistication.
“My favourite has to be the Cosmic Egg Jet Black Earrings,” says Afzal. “They’re a stunning looking pair that give a big look whilst being comfortable to wear. The black enamel makes the emerald cut diamonds look like they’re floating and the gleaming golden surfaces catch so much light.”
As the brand continues to evolve, Afzal has their place in the larger industry on his mind. “We’ve always kind of set up the brand as something that we saw internationally, not restricted to our borders,” he says. “That informed our decisions when it came to designing, branding and taking on opportunities that lead that way. That foundation has helped us expand internationally quite early on. But much of it also comes down to the people we’ve met along the way that have coached us and helped us figure out how to get to where we are.”
And they have some pretty iconic fans. State Property pieces have been worn by global superstars, from Taylor Swift to Gigi Hadid. But for Afzal, the story of Rihanna stands out the most. “We had heard from a retailer in the US that someone famous had bought a State Property ring from them, but they weren’t allowed to say who. Years later, I was doom scrolling on social media and came across a video of Rihanna getting Mariah Carey’s autograph on her chest. I thought it amusing and was about to scroll on, when I miraculously stopped because I thought I saw something. What I saw was that ring that the retailer told us about on Rihanna’s finger. I was gobsmacked but also particularly tickled at how I found out.”
