Mei Yan

LA based designer, social media mogul and model Mei Yan is a pink-haired powerhouse of inspiration, creativity, and drive. Yan, after garnering success on social media, recently released her own premiere jewelry collection partnered with Kestan. This line, “Kestan x Mei”, includes three distinct items (a ruffle choker, wrap choker, and flower inspired earrings), reflect the Yan’s complete individuality and tenacity.

Growing up, Yan’s unique sense of style inspired many of her peers to encourage her to study fashion and design. Filled with self-doubt, Yan had trouble believing in the potential of this dream. Years later, with her own jewelry line, Yan has surely proven her self-doubt wrong. And, according to Yan, her momentum has only just picked up— “design has become one of my newest passions and I hope to continue pursuing it.”

Her line was heavily inspired by the trend of mixing and matching various textures and styles. Yan’s main goal of this jewelry line was to bring a touch of her style into anyone’s closet. “In a way,” she added, “these pieces are all extremely personal to me.” The line is a culmination of some of her favorite style elements: versatility, femininity, “and of course the color pink!” When pressured to pick her favorite item from the line, Yan was stumped. If she had to pick, she noted, that it would be the Lia Ruffle Choker, which happen to be the piece she featured in our shoot. She added, “the soft ruffled lace adds the perfect hint of femininity to any outfit.” Bonus Yan fun fact, this choker was named after one of her best friends!

An important part of this jewelry line for Yan has nothing to do with jewelry or design at all. A portion of her proceeds are going to the Old Friends Animal Sanctuary in Juliet, Tennessee. Years ago, by chance, Yan followed the Old Friends Animal Sanctuary page on Facebook. “Every time one of their posts showed up,” Mei added, “it would brighten my day immensely. It always broke my heart to see senior dogs live the rest of their years in shelters and I was happy to see a rescue completely dedicated to changing that.”

Despite not having Facebook anymore, Yan could not forget about the Old Friends Animal Sanctuary and their message. Yan grew up with shelter dogs and always dreamed of being able to contribute to rescues; a few years back she lost her childhood pet to an illness and it changed her life. The memory of her lost pet pushes her to give back to the animals still at shelters today— “I’m happy that no matter how small, I’m able to give back to them… I want to continue to utilize even the smallest amounts of success to helping whatever way I can.”

Wear what makes you happy."

When asked about her personal style, Yan described it one sentence: wear what makes you happy. She added that it took years for her to fully realize her individual style—she was chasing one trend after another and trying to model herself after different people. When she let go of her standards, she finally found her own sense of style that’s highly representative of who she is. Her jewelry line definitely reflects her individuality and hyper-feminine aesthetic.

Aside from designing, Yan has been successful in other facets of her brand—add modeling to Yan’s repertoire. When Yan began exploring fashion in her early teens, she had many friends interested in photography. Yan and her friends would throw together random shoots just for fun— “looking back at it, it was hilariously illegitimate, but I’ll always treasure those memories. Yan has come a long way from random little photoshoots, but she still expresses so much gratitude for those first experiences in front of the camera.

Another dimension of Yan’s brand is her successful YouTube channel and impressive social media following. Yan recently hit her two year YouTube anniversary in July. Years before starting her channel, Yan was struggling— filled with self doubt and feeling lost, Yan was in a rut. Later, inspired by her passion for makeup and fashion, Yan turned to YouTube— “I just wanted to create something that I could be proud of… I wanted to become someone I was proud of.” While her social media and YouTube successes are both achievements to be extremely proud of, she added that “it’s not easy to make a living off social media… it has been difficult in the past and still is now.” The key, she added, is self-discipline and pushing beyond the rough patches by remembering your long-term goals and dreams that lie ahead. “Being human is hard… everyone is struggling in their own way so always be mindful, kind, and courteous to others,” these are the words that Yan lives by in her day to day life.

Yan was extremely open about her struggles with selfdoubt. She revealed a poignant phrase a friend would constantly tell her in support: “being a butterfly means that you can’t see the beauty in your own wings.” Yan has battled with feeling comfortable and secure in her success—constantly focused on what lies ahead and what she has yet to accomplish. “I don’t think I’ve done anything to be considered a great accomplishment… I don’t often feel satisfied with what I’m doing and I probably never will be.” Yan doesn’t let these thoughts keep her down— instead, she has turned these feelings of dissatisfaction into a constructive drive that has propelled her to keep moving forward, creating, and achieving.

In two words, Yan can be described as utterly unique. Her style, brand, and premiere jewelry line are extremely reflective of her individuality. Her humbleness and gratitude leaps beyond her projection on the screen— Yan’s candor about her struggles with self-doubt, and her selfless and understated charitable efforts with the Old Friends Animal Sanctuary are inspiring. Yan’s drive will surely allow her to accomplish more feats and successes. Watch out for this pink-haired powerhouse, who knows what she’ll do next.

Being a butterfly means you can't see the beauty in your own wings."

Written by Mackenzie Rafferty | Photography by Lenne Chai