It was partially on recommendation from an executive at Barneys New York that Jameel Mohammed found his way into jewelry. Though he was designing apparel at the time, a necklace he’d once made caught the person’s eye, and with a little encouragement, Mohammed switched focus. But KHIRY, his brand, was conceptualized during the same year as the Ferguson protests in the aftermath of Mike Brown’s death and the formulation of the Black Lives Matter movement, which means it’s always been more than mere accoutrements. “I thought to myself, if I have this access to stores and media, then I have to look for something to say,” Mohammed says. “So I decided that I wanted to use what I was going to do to advocate for Black people.” Mohammed now does just that, sourcing Black culture and history as inspiration points, and designing for people who understand his worldview. This ideology runs through his high-end custom fashion jewelry business, which features 18-karat gold and diamond charms, as well as through to his fashion jewelry collection, which he plans to expand soon.
