How Qeelin’s Mid-Autumn Festival campaign makes luxury humane

As the lens pans, the story of a young man returning home unfolds. For Wang Chuqin, a Chinese table tennis player and Olympic champion, this Mid-Autumn Festival was a bittersweet moment of life. As he recounts his childhood travels with his parents and his regret at missing this family holiday since he was seven, the camera turns to Wang playing chess and table tennis with his father, practicing Tai Chi with his mother, sharing a joyful dinner, and watching the full moon in an indigo blue sky. The short film, quiet and tender throughout, fades out on the peaceful domestic tableau bathed in the relucent moonlight. This evocative homecoming video is the latest endeavor by Qeelin, a Kering brand that introduced its Wulu collection, a take on the auspicious Chinese gourd, to the world of fine jewelry. Qeelin has long been known for its master craftsmanship woven with Eastern aesthetics and philosophy. The release of this film, featuring its new brand ambassador Wang Chuqin, marks a milestone in carrying forward its tradition of cultural storytelling, one that taps into a narrative rooted in family, heritage, and human connection. Exploring a humane narrative in the crowded luxury world Though a young brand by industry standards, Qeelin is not a stranger to localized expression and cultural storytelling, which dates back to its origins. Its founder and creative director Dennis Chan was inspired by the majestic murals of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang during his journey along the Silk Road in 1997. Seven years later he brought his vision to infuse the abundance of Chinese cultural legacy into modern jewelry craftsmanship to life with the founding of Qeelin. To mark its 20th anniversary, the jeweler announced a partnership with the Dunhuang Academy to fund research into the jewelry and accessories found in the Sui and Tang dynasty grotto art murals. In recent years, its role as a versed storyteller of Eastern cultural legacy has extended beyond its historic connection with Dunhuang and it dived deeper into the storied dynasties and vast territories of China. It serenaded the 2024 Spring Festival with a film on the “Golden Dragon Parade” folk tradition on the Yulong River in Guangxi. Then in a film created this year, it debuted “The Grand Song of the Dong” — a folk choral performance listed on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list, on the global fashion stage. In this way, it gave new life to the 2,500-year-old living oral history of Guizhou’s Dong people and in the meantime amplified its own power of cultural resonance. With this latest hearty rendition for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Qeelin further sets itself apart in the highly competitive world of fine jewelry. While releasing New Year exclusives with brain-racking creatives has become a staple for luxury brands, the Mid-Autumn Festival as a celebratory occasion remains a blind spot in their marketing playbook. For this special occasion, Qeelin zeros in on the most fundamental theme of all: the nature of family and home. This exploration builds on the atelier's founding vision to tap deeper into cultural roots in addition to introducing a subtle innovation — moving luxury beyond craftsmanship, aesthetics, and cultural elements to intimate, humane storytelling. Another brilliant merger of culture and wearability The Mid-Autumn Festival film in tribute to China's family culture from a microscopic view, once again shows Qeelin’s agility in merging classic culture with contemporary wearability. Every jewelry detail in the scene, from the Wulu cord bracelet on Wang’s wrist to the red agate he adjusted on the front of his mother’s lapel carries cultural weight. In a small, intimate family gathering on this holiday occasion, jewelry has become a daily ritual that transcends ornamental aesthetics. The brand name "Qeelin," drawn from the qilin, an auspicious Chinese mythological creature symbolizing love and fortune, denotes the brand’s philosophical grounding in Oriental heritage. Known as the first fine jewellery brand to modernize the Wulu (Chinese gourd), the brand continues to interpret fine jewelry with modern aesthetics. Its bijouterie lines, dazzling yet not overstated, feature classic Chinese motifs, from pandas and butterflies to orchids and bamboo, which are elegantly designed with a contemporariness in mind and fit seamlessly into everyday life. This latest campaign renders a fresh glimpse to this very core of Qeelin’s identity. Forging a deeper connection with younger consumers The slowdown in the broader luxury market that began in 2023 persists amid a floundering economy and muted consumer sentiment. Bain & Company projected a 2%-5% decline in global sales for 2025, which would make it the worst year since 2008. However, despite headwinds, Qeelin posted “substantial growth” for the first half of 2025, according to Kering, the luxury conglomerate that acquired the jewelry boutique in 2014. The reasons behind this performance lie not just in its delicate craftsmanship and cultural symbolism but the jeweler’s ceaseless exploration into the diverse, sophisticated repertoire of traditional Chinese culture. In this way, the maison also aligns itself with the wider social sentiments of younger Chinese generations, who are increasingly revisiting tradition and reinventing it with a modern twist. Imbuing daily moments with a sense of occasion and ceremony has emerged as a key motivator for their spending decisions. A recent report on Gen Z’s emotional consumption in 2025 reveals that 32.3% of Chinese Gen Z consumers crave a sense of occasion in their purchase, seeking to bring order to their lives and anchor their emotions. Through this short film created for the Mid-Autumn Festival, Qeelin may well set a new benchmark for the struggling luxury industry. By looking at an individual story within an intimate family setting, the brand carves out a territory largely uncharted by most global high jewelry houses. This human-centered approach builds on Qeelin’s refined cultural sensitivities and flair for reviving ancient treasures, forging an ever-deeper connection with both new and seasoned consumers. When cultural identity touches upon the personal, the family, the bond, the emotion aroused becomes unbeatable. In creating a sense of ceremony on this special occasion, Qeelin serves as an example of how to stay relevant with social currents and resonate with a generation of consumers who are redefining style, values, and identity on their own terms.

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How Qeelin’s Mid-Autumn Festival campaign makes luxury humane