Meet the Designer Behind All of the Chunky 2000s Rings You've Been Seeing Everywhere

The chunky ring trend [1] is taking over and one designer you have to thank is BonBonWhims [2]'s Clare Ngai. We spoke with the designer of the whimsical brand that will take you right back to the 2000s with its colourful designs [3]. The name also seems to have the same cheery sentiment that the designs evoke. "BonBon means candy in French and it also means good. Whims is short for whimsical, [so that's how I got] whimsy. I wanted this to be a really good vibes-only, positive brand and I feel like that really embodies all of those messages. My jewellery, as you can see, is very colourful and chunky," Clare told POPSUGAR.

"Making jewellery has always been a hobby, and then the pandemic hit and I started doing more, trying to use it as a distraction. During COVID and when I was working from home, I thought, 'Let me just start an Instagram and see what happens.' Of course, at first, it was just friends and family. Then slowly, random people would DM me. It was actually a DM to shop brand all the way up until this past November."

Another thing we love about the brand? BonBonWhims has also been giving back to the AAPI community [4] by making donations to SendChinatownLove [5], StopAAPI Hate [6], Heart For Dinner [7], and AALDEF [8]. So, you can feel great about your purchase too! Keep scrolling to read more about the brand and shop out our favourite selects.

The Brand's Inspiration

"I grew up in Hong Kong and when I was a kid we would go to the mall to play with the gumball machines that would give you little collectibles like hearts and other charms. I would say the inspirations came from this movement of the early 2000s. It was a mix of Y2K, '90s, and my own experience kind of coming together."

Kylie Jenner Wearing BonBonWhims

"I freaked out when I saw Kylie wore my earrings [12]! She was wearing the pink cuff earring too. I still feel like I'm on cloud nine. I felt very honoured. Her stylist, Jill Jacobs [13], actually reached out one day out of the blue and said that they wanted to post something. This was a few weeks ago, so I didn't really have much hope. I just thought, 'Okay, I'm sure she gets stuff from millions of brands a day.' But, it's so humbling as a small brand to see someone like Kylie wear my piece. I like that she's embracing small brands and wearing it with designers like Versace."

Starting the Brand

"I actually tried to [start a brand] once a couple of years ago when I was working at a job that wasn't very fulfiling and inspiring. I remember during lunchtime, I would go to the jewellery district in New York and I'd just buy a ton of beads and make jewellery at home. I know that a lot of jewellery designers are trained, but I'm sort of self-taught. I just watched YouTube videos and I didn't go to school for it."

Giving Back to Charities

"I want to continue being really involved in the charitable aspect of BonBonWhims. Right now, as you know, there's a lot of anti-Asian sentiment happening. We made a ton of donations to a lot of charities that will benefit the Asian AAPI communities. I want to always be able to do that."

What Celebrities She'd Love to See Wear Her Brand

"I would love to see more women of colour wearing the brand too. Chrissy Teigen or Olivia Munn would be so cool!"

POPSUGAR UK