Designer Cindy Xinyi Wu transforms bread into jewellery in her unique Rising collection, celebrating the art of baking and the vitality of dough. This collection features sculptural rings, brooches, earrings, bangles, and necklaces, where bread dough is the central element, showcased within intricately designed metal frameworks.
Bread as a Precious Element
The Rising collection elevates bread from a foodstuff to a decorative material, comparable to gemstones. By allowing dough to expand freely within metal bands during baking, Wu captures the organic energy of rising bread. Post-baking, the bread is dehydrated to harden and preserve its form.
Wu’s jewellery designs reference the actions of kneading, stretching, and folding—a nod to the breadmaking process she deeply cherishes. “I’ve always perceived bread as a precious and beautiful element,” Wu explains, adding that the collection aims to spotlight bread’s unique aesthetic and vitality.
A Baker’s Journey
Wu’s journey into baking began during her childhood and evolved into a serious study in 2018. For her, baking is more than a craft; it’s a mental retreat. “Baking requires my complete concentration… It’s a vital escape from the harshness of reality,” she shares.
This personal connection inspired her final-year project at Central Saint Martins, where she created Rising to document her relationship with bread and its symbolic power. The metal frames in her pieces evoke bread-shaping tools, while the dough’s natural expansion highlights its unpredictable beauty.
Jewellery That Breathes Life
The Rising collection embraces the random, free growth of dough during fermentation. Wu believes this process—full of surprises and vitality—represents the pulse of life. “Watching the dough rise feels like breathing,” she says, noting each batch’s unique personality.
Through Rising, Wu hopes to inspire viewers to reconsider bread’s character. Her sculptural pieces fuse the organic forms of dough with metal’s structured beauty, creating a dialogue between the material’s vitality and permanence.
Art Beyond Bread
This year has seen other creative tributes to bread, such as a scratch-and-sniff baguette stamp designed by Stéphane Humbert-Basset for the French post office. Wu’s Rising collection, however, redefines bread as both art and adornment, celebrating its unexpected aesthetic potential.