Sweet & Savory
Growing up in Beijing, a young Chloe Pan found herself immersed in a world of anime. Playful yet bold, the iconic style of anime crept its way onto Chloe’s school papers, where doodles of mystic fairytale creatures were found on every corner. Over the years, the whimsical dreamland Chloe had created on paper slowly began to manifest itself into something a bit more tangible. In 2024, Chloe launched Amemori, a jewelry brand that brought her mystical dreamland to reality.
“A lot of my inspiration comes from nature and fairytales,” Chloe explained, “The style, which in Chinese we call “可盐可甜”, is a little savory, a little sweet. Cool and effortless, but also cute and tender, plus a dash of quirkiness.” The perfect combination of two counter opposites, Amemori celebrates the beauty in unexpected synergies.
Raised in a family where stability was valued over creativity, Chloe was encouraged by her parents to pursue science over art. “Art had always been really easy for me, but as a kid, I thought I’d become a scientist because it never occurred to me that I could pursue art as a career,” Chloe explained. With art in the backseat, science took over Chloe’s life. She appeased her parents and went on to become a software engineer — a career that was, surprisingly, more creative than she had anticipated. “Coding is a form of art. If you’re creating your own code, you have something in your mind that you’re converting into reality.” While the art of coding intrigued Chloe, it quickly grew tiring. Instead of designing her own code, she was spending much of her time implementing code others had created. “I wanted something that truly belonged to myself,” she said of the breaking point that led her to quit her job.
After leaving corporate, Chloe ventured off to Mexico City. “I didn’t know what my next steps would be, I just knew I needed a change,” she said of the inner voice that was only getting louder, “I realized that I couldn’t keep waiting. I had to take the risk because I felt a strong calling for it.”
Unsure of where to go next, Chloe tried her hand at a few things — one of which was jewelry making, a hobby she had explored over the years. “I love the feeling of having a thought in my head that I can turn into something real,” she said of the original pull to jewelry. Finding inspiration in her sketchbooks, Chloe launched her first line of Amemori products in January of 2024.
The shift from engineer to jewelry-designer came more naturally than expected. Because so much of jewelry making is rooted in functional design, Chloe was able to seamlessly navigate what would have otherwise been a massive learning curve. “I love to make things multi-functional,” Chloe explained of her engineer-inspired design process, “A necklace can turn into a bracelet, a ring can turn into an earring,” allowing endless wears and rewears of the same piece. Chloe’s dynamic approach to design also considers comfortability without compromising on aesthetic. “For example, a choker may have spiky thorns that look uncomfortable, but I’ve specifically engineered them with wear in mind.”
Similarly, Amemori pieces are designed either every body in mind. “People usually talk about size inclusivity when it comes to clothing, but necks and wrists have different sizes as well,” Chloe said of the industry’s shortcomings. Because of this, Chloe has implemented adjustability into each of her pieces, inviting customers of all sizes to enjoy her products. “Growing up as a plus sized person, I know what it feels like to walk through a store or craft fair and think there’s nothing for you,” Chloe said of a feeling she wishes to eradicate through size inclusive and adjustable design.
Her commitment to inclusivity goes beyond size. In an effort to challenge traditional gender norms, Chloe intentionally designs gender agnostic pieces. “My pieces are gender neutral, not extremely masculine or feminine — because what even is ‘men’s jewelry’?” By questioning the norm, Chloe reminds customers there’s nothing inherently gendered about jewelry.
The gender agnostic designs explore symbols of natural beauty, featuring motifs like flowers, stars and thorns. These motifs pay homage to the whimsical fairytales of her early sketches. Much like Chloe’s love for the intersection of science and art, Amemori creates a dreamy yet electric fantasyland where unlikely styles can be explored simultaneously. “When people see my jewelry, they say ‘this is so weird and pretty — and fun’ and that’s exactly feeling I’m going for,” Chloe explained. Each piece celebrates the Amemori dreamworld that Chloe has created, where science and art are of equal value, and where creativity is endless.