Meet Ellen Khan | Entrepreneur Revolutionizing the Jewelry Industry with Minimalism, One Step at a Time

A New York City native raised in Queens, Ellen Khan has seen the worlds of the versatile and ever-changing fashion industry. She is the brain behind the effortless and elegant jewelry brand KHAN, which has to be one of the most minimalistic and chic collections.

During her attempt to expand her "effortless style," she discovered the lack of affordability in the existing jewelry collections in the world of minimalism. She took it upon herself to start KHAN as the solution and fill that gap in the market. The main idea for establishing KHAN was to introduce modish and effortless pieces that won't cost a fortune to jewelry lovers.

The brand thrives on four core values: Affordability, Inclusivity, Individualism and Acceptance. If you love minimal and effortless looks while supporting an industry change, KHAN is the brand for you.

While her brand is receiving a lot of love and undergoing its rebranding project, we were curious to know more about her entrepreneurial vision and creative inspirations. So we recently caught up with her for an interview, and here's a glimpse of it!

1) Can you walk us through the inspiration behind KHAN?

KHAN was introduced to the world as an NYC brand that does not target a specific audience. Why? There are two very big problems in the jewelry industry - affordability and inclusivity. The reality is consumers have to spend anywhere between $50-$100 on a single piece, and this shuts the door on many individuals financially. This industry capitalizes off of selling this classist vision - profiting off the play on human emotion. Letting people feel and believe they are of some importance because they have this item.

I am strongly against all of that. I believe something that is meant to adorn yourself and be used as identity expression should not have limits. You will never see gender labelling, social class marketing, or stereotypical advertising in my brand. KHAN was built with the consciousness that it is made for everyone - and we really mean it.

2) What did you envision when you first started out?

I honestly had no solid plan. I never owned a business before, I didn’t have any entrepreneurial background, and I was terrified. I thought if I was having this issue, others must be too, and there was no solution. What I did know - was this wasn’t just going to be another brand on the market with someone’s name attached to it. This was going to be a brand that is driven by the determination of someone who gets it and really wants to provide a solution.

3) Have you always imagined yourself to be a jewelry brand owner?

To be brutally honest, not at all - but life works in mysterious ways. Every individual has a calling, and sometimes that calling could be something completely different than imagined.

4) Tell us more about your jewelry pieces and what's the main aim of your brand?

A means to empower all individuals and to unapologetically be who they are and alleviate a mindset that separates a value from expensive brands and styles. Before releasing a collection to the public, there is a process by which pieces make the cut. The goal of every single piece is to give a classic, timeless feel to any look.

5) From where do you usually draw your creative inspiration?

Right here at home. New York City has so many wonderful and creative personalities. I go out a lot, and I’m always talking to new people. Going to museums is one of my favourite past time activities, so I take a lot of inspiration from there as well.

6) That's amazing! So if you could change one thing in your industry, what would that be? How are you planning to make that change happen?

Change the narrative behind jewelry and adorning yourself. The world has changed and moved forward, but the industry hasn’t. Building a brand and putting it out there brings the idea, but the people behind it are what drive the change. We are a team that constantly speaks about the brand’s mission and get conversations flowing about the industry.