Jameel Mohammed, the founder of jewelry line Khiry, draws his inspiration from the African diaspora to create futuristic pieces rooted in cultural history. The young designer started his line while a senior studying political science at the University of Pennsylvania. The designs are bold not only in aesthetic but in origin — in order to found Khiry, Mohammed held a Kickstarter campaign.
The resulting products are bold and informed jewelry intended to be head-turning statements. KHIRY's first outing, the Spring/Summer '16 collection, is grounded in the idea of metropolitan Africa and a focus on traditional cultural iconography. Mohammed was inspired by the music of Fela Kuti, along with images of Nigerian university students in the 60's and 70's, and the work of Malick Sidibe, among others.
Jameel MOHAMMED