Hong Kong jewellery label MIDNIGHTFACTORY and its founder and designer, Auston Tse, are featured in MRRM in a conversation exploring jewellery, emotion and the realities of building an independent fashion brand in Hong Kong.
In the February 2026 interview, MRRM speaks with Auston about the ideas behind MIDNIGHTFACTORY, a Hong Kong-based independent jewellery label known for its 925 sterling silver pieces and dark romantic approach to design.
For MIDNIGHTFACTORY, jewellery is more than decoration. Auston describes it as something that takes on meaning through the experiences, memories and emotions of the person wearing it. This thinking has shaped the brand’s approach from the beginning: creating objects that can carry personal significance while remaining part of everyday life.
Jewellery as a Personal Language
The interview explores MIDNIGHTFACTORY’s earlier phrase, “for the Restless and Wounded,” and the idea of jewellery as a way of expressing parts of ourselves that may be difficult to put into words.
Rather than assigning a fixed meaning to each piece, MIDNIGHTFACTORY leaves space for the wearer to build their own relationship with it. Storytelling, imagery and atmosphere are therefore as important to the brand as the physical object itself, forming a wider visual and emotional world around each collection.
Building an Independent Jewellery Brand in Hong Kong
Speaking with MRRM about operating a local independent brand, Auston reflects on the speed and competitiveness of Hong Kong’s fashion market.
His approach has gradually shifted from waiting for everything to feel perfect towards learning through making, testing and adapting, while protecting the identity at the centre of MIDNIGHTFACTORY.
The interview offers a closer look at the experience of developing a Hong Kong jewellery brand independently, balancing creative direction with the practical realities of growing a business.
The CRUCIS Cross Pendant
When asked to choose one design that best represents him, Auston selects the CRUCIS Cross Pendant Necklace.
Constructed from four shield-like forms that meet to create a cross, CRUCIS represents resilience, protection and the decision to keep moving forward. The design is closely connected to MIDNIGHTFACTORY’s recurring HeavyDutyKid concept: finding strength without denying vulnerability.
Auston also connects CRUCIS to Burn Pearls, a design from MIDNIGHTFACTORY’s first season in which the appearance of damaged and burnt pearls challenged conventional ideas of perfection.
Together, the works trace an evolving theme within MIDNIGHTFACTORY: from recognising wounds and imperfection to creating objects associated with protection, persistence and what we choose to carry with us.
About MIDNIGHTFACTORY
MIDNIGHTFACTORY is an independent jewellery label founded in Hong Kong in 2021 by designer Auston Tse. Working primarily with 925 sterling silver, the brand creates contemporary jewellery through a dark romantic visual language, combining symbolism, personal narratives and everyday wearability.
Its work explores love, memory, vulnerability, resilience and the objects we choose to keep close.