Jameel Mohammed is making an impact – with small and ornate designs. His Khiry brand began as a challenge: in 2016, the designer was told point blank by a prominent CEO of a luxury goods company that luxury brands could only emerge from Paris or Milan. He set out to prove the statement wrong. With his jewelry designs inspired by the heritage and culture of the African Diaspora, Mohammed is well on his way to creating his own luxury house.

To celebrate his CFDA nomination for American Emerging Designer of the Year, we learned more about the designer inside his artful Brooklyn studio.

Congratulations on your CFDA Award nomination! What was your reaction and how did you celebrate?

My basic reaction was astonishment. The nomination came right on the heels of my first Met Gala, which was already such an amazing and bewildering experience in many ways.  I celebrated with a nap!

When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in fashion?

My first internships were a super formative time. I had a ton of direct exposure to the creative leaders at Nicole Miller and Narciso Rodriguez while still in high school, and that was the moment when I was absolutely certain that I wanted to pursue a career in fashion.

What’s something you hope to change about the fashion industry?

I want the next generation of Black entrepreneurs to experience a greater degree of self-determination.

What is something you hope to accomplish in your career? Where do you want to take the brand looking forward?

My goal for the brand is to create a cohesive vision that allows folks from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to participate in the fundamental process of world building that I think we engage in as an Afrofuturist luxury brand.  My aim is to wield the power of fashion to make pointed statements about the value of Black life.  I want to take a variety of roads and strategies to build that vision collaboratively.

How did your time at Nicole Miller and Narciso Rodriguez help you with your business today? 

From a young age, I got to see the wide variety of roles and responsibilities involved in bringing a fully realized vision to the market. I think that kind of experience is invaluable in understanding the subtleties of this industry, which aren’t written on paper but can still greatly shape the course of your career. I also got the confidence I needed at a young age to feel that I could make an impact and that my voice could be highly respected in the industry.

Why jewelry?

I think jewelry is special for the levels of intimacy and significance that it has in the life of its wearer. It also has such a storied history and a natural association of value. Both of these are critical elements that I seek to negotiate and engage with thoughtfully as an artist and designer.