The rapid retail success of her namesake brand YUESPHERE is just one strand of the 26-year-old’s extraordinary story. To date, the designer has been tapped by showstopping museum exhibitions and collaborates with influential ready-to-wear designers, actresses and singers on bespoke pieces who seemingly can’t get enough of her inimitable aesthetic.

Describing herself as a “contemporary demi-fine jeweller” she is known for creating sculptural pieces that resonate with unexpected, elaborate shapes. Indeed, Shanghai’s skyscrapers have influenced her fascination with creating interesting structures in jewellery form. In recent years the demi-fine/costume landscape, where prices average £250 to £1,000 plus, has been dominated by international luxury fashion brands. The paucity of independent designers in this niche could explain the burgeoning appetite for brands such as YUESPHERE particularly with Gen Z and Millennial audiences. 

In her Shanghai studio, Zhou works with a mix of materials including vermeil, rhodium-plated silver and white jade, which she often pairs with subtly coloured crystals to create a translucent appearance. “I love how light shines through them,” she explains. “The collection often incorporates details that surprise and are bold, featuring unique shapes and chains with distinctive links. It is designed to fit anyone regardless of their gender. My intention is for individuals to express themselves freely.”

The jeweller started collaborating with ready-to-wear designers when she lived in London, graduating from London College of Fashion in 2018 with a BA in Fashion Jewellery. Early projects included bespoke catwalk pieces for Samuel Gui Yang, Yuhan Wang and Caroline Hu, all LVMH prize semi-finalists. Now back in China, she counts supermodel Xiaowen Ju, the singer-songwriter G.E.M, award-winning actress Shu Qi and Yifei Liu, the star of Disney movie Mulan, as devotees of her designs.

Most recently, Shanghai’s World Expo Museum invited her to create a capsule collection that sells alongside the immersive ‘Van Gogh Alive Exhibition’. Paying homage to the masterful strokes of Van Gogh, Zhou chose ‘The Starry Night’, with moons and complex constellations as the inspiration for her collection of intricate brooches, earrings and rings. “Like alchemists of art, we bestow metal with the essence of silk as gradient blue gemstones gracefully nestle in silver,” she explains.

Lane Crawford was the brand’s inaugural stockist. It discovered YUESPHERE at Shanghai Fashion Week in October 2020 and went on to sell the striking collections in its Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu locations. “Landing in Lane Crawford was a pivotal moment for me," says Zhou, “along with being interviewed by Elle China and WWD China”. With over 20 retailers across Asia including conceptual multi-brand stores such as B1OCK in Hangzhou and Assemble by Reel in Shanghai, her strategy is to replicate her success so far in new markets including the USA, Europe, and beyond.

To this end, YUESPHERE will make its European debut in September at NouvelleBox during Paris Fashion Week. Conscious that buyers and press may be encountering her work for the very first time, she will unveil an edit of the best of her past five collections. “Initially I operated with two collections per year. I'm now considering shifting towards a more timeless model where my jewellery becomes more sustainable, less seasonal and something that people can wear every day.”