2012 is when the Emblem journey began with Mayu, the designer and creative force behind the brand. Freshly settled in Canada, she found herself working in Vancouver for a small jewelry manufacturer—low pay, limited growth. Faced with the choice of heading East for better opportunities or forging her path and creating her own brand, Mayu, rooted on the West Coast, chose the latter. The basic concept for the brand took shape: cut-out plate necklaces resembling logos. It was nothing more at the time: no alchemy, no philosophy The name Emblem was mostly incidental, sounding right and fitting the vision. While sketching out the brand's logo, Mayu hit a roadblock with the first "E" until a striked triangular design effortlessly emerged one day, sparking the birth of Emblem's distinctive logo.

Shortly after conceiving the idea, establishing the name and logo, and creating initial jewelry designs, Mayu got lucky and was hired by another Vancouver-based company, stepping into a leading role within the high-end jewelry retail space. The new job involved jewelry design, graphic design and marketing. It marked a significant career advancement, albeit with a steep learning curve. With this opportunity, Mayu decidedd to set Emblem aside, fully dedicating herself to her new role.

Over the next few years, Mayu immersed herself in learning a wealth of knowledge about marketing, graphic design, and retailing. However, by 2016, a yearning for greater creative freedom tugged at her. The fine-jewelry industry, though valuable in experience, couldn't quite capture her edgier creative style. The call of Emblem persisted in her thoughts. In response, Mayu resumed the brand's development where she had left off, dedicating her free time to breathe life back into it.

In 2017, as she was making progress on her side project Emblem, an unexpected and spontaneous spiritual awakening swept over her, instantly reshaping her perception of reality as she tapped into another dimension of life. This experience, both phenomenal and destabilizing, set in motion a series of internal processes, fostering deep inner healing and growth.

The solidity of the material world and her known sense of self crumbled, leading Mayu to redirect her focus entirely from external pursuits to internal exploration for the next few years. She had to set Emblem aside while navigating this transformative journey. Departing from her corporate job, she sustained herself as a barista.

Coined as 'ego death,' this period signifies a profound restructuring of the self, where the spiritual core emerges and the conditioned ego-self surrenders to it.
Mayu interprets this as an evolutionary shift from solar plexus consciousness to heart-center consciousness, a transformation she believes humanity is collectively undergoing. Understanding this shift involves exploring the energy centres or chakra system: the solar plexus chakra, tied to personal power, identity, and the ego, contrasts with the heart chakra, linked to love, compassion, connection to collective and higher consciousness, and psychic abilities.
This shift transcends conditioned minds and pursuits incongruent with one's authentic nature. Instead, individuals connect with their true natures, deeper desires and callings. Through inner healing and self-mastery, they also develop the art of co-creation and manifestation, synonymous with the spiritual alchemical process.

The solidity of the material world and her known sense of self crumbled, leading Mayu to redirect her focus entirely from external pursuits to internal exploration for the next couple of years. Coined as 'ego death,' this period signifies a profound restructuring of the self, where the spiritual core emerges and the conditioned ego-self surrenders to it.

Departing from her corporate job, she sustained herself as a barista while navigating this transformative journey. She also lost the drive to work on Emblem which, like many other things during this time, felt like it no longer made sense.

Mayu interprets this as an evolutionary shift from solar plexus consciousness to heart-center consciousness, a transformation she believes humanity is collectively undergoing. Understanding this shift involves exploring the chakra system: the solar plexus chakra, tied to personal power, identity, and the ego, contrasts with the heart chakra, linked to love, compassion, connection to collective and higher consciousness, and psychic abilities.

This shift transcends conditioned minds and pursuits incongruent with one's authentic nature. Instead, individuals connect with their true natures, deeper desires and callings. Through self-mastery, they also develop the art of co-creation and manifestation. This is synonymous with the alchemical process.

After bidding farewell to corporate life, Mayu set about creating a portfolio for future creative endeavours. Inspired, she coined the title 'Artistic Alchemy' and loosely embraced the theme of alchemy throughout the presentation of her work. Shortly after finalizing it, she stumbled upon a tarot reading on YouTube. A striked triangular symbol, identical to the 'E' in her Emblem logo, seized her attention on one of the cards.

During the reading, the shape was identified as 'the symbol for the element of earth.' Intrigued and unfamiliar with it, Mayu paused the video to investigate further. Her online search led her to images of the figure, described as the alchemical symbol for earth. As she explored websites explaining alchemical symbols she was soon also reading about alchemical emblems, the realization struck her — she had unintentionally conceptualized a brand called Emblem, incorporating an alchemical symbol into the logo.

At that moment, Mayu experienced a distinct and somewhat eerie sensation, as if a greater force was guiding her creation. She felt like a spectator witnessing the unfolding of a plot beyond her control. Though Emblem hadn't occupied her thoughts much recently, the symbol reignited a deep connection to the brand. Although she wasn't prepared to resume work on it right at that time, this marked a pivotal moment, a call she knew she couldn't ignore forever.

During the years following 2018, the motivation to revive Emblem gradually resurfaced. While Mayu remained deeply engrossed in inner work, she embarked on a journey of self-education about alchemy, alchemical emblems, and the symbolism and philosophy intertwined with them. This learning process unfolded gradually, and, as she grappled with the challenge of how to start the business. However, Mayu committed herself to taking small steps forward, holding onto the faith that the puzzle would eventually unravel itself as she persevered. She was now living on Vancouver Island, closer to nature, and was working a front desk job at a local marina.

After a series of tragic challenges that reached a climax in 2022, Mayu departed from her job due to difficult mental health circumstances. Confronting unemployment, she sought guidance from a career advisor who skillfully navigated her through these troubled times, eventually leading her to a program designed to assist and mentor entrepreneurs in launching their businesses. Simultaneously, Mayu received a small inheritance, providing the financial means to kickstart her Emblem venture. With the support she needed falling into place, everything aligned, and suddenly, all the traffic lights switched to green. Within a few months, Emblem and its products came to life, at the end of the summer of 2023.