This is the first staple piece that cemented Genes’ brand. Caro, the founder and head designer reinterpreted her mother’s designs, with a more modern, androgynous twist.

Genes is about family heritage. It all started with her grandmother making clothes for her mother & aunt since they were young. This inspired her mother & aunt to make a white label garment workshop. Fast forward to today, Caro and her cousin collaborate with her mother to create more modernized designs, while her brother photographs most of the editorial shots.

Genes was born to commemorate this family affair.

First pictured is the painted ceiling of madrasa mosque at Registan square in Samarkand. My trip to Uzbekistan, a place famed for its rich textile tradition and Islamic architecture, inspired our Arabesque collection. Each bag is handwoven in Iraca palm leaf and dipped in 24K gold.

This was a playful experimentation of the ornamental possibilities of gilded arabesque within the world of Magnetic Midnight. The scrolls, spirals, flowers & leaves motifs are traditional to the Colombian iraca palm weaving technique and language, as they come into conversation with Uzbek mosaic architectural patterns and embroidered suzani textiles. 

At Hamaji, I draft each original pattern in my small studio in Kilifi, nestled under an aged fig tree with Kenyan designers & creators. Then, a community of skilled artisans carefully stitch our woven creations together.

For the Kullu Wool Coat, we partnered with Kullvi Whims, a women's collective dedicated to preserving the rich traditions of wool spinning and weaving in the Kullu Valley. Each and every thread is woven by hand and dyed with indigenous plants.

The Story of Odissea: It all started last winter on February 4, 2019. I was walking along the Rockaway beach with my friend, Yoni. I was surprised & taken by the black shells on the shore, as they were something that I had never seen in Mexico.

A spark of inspiration guided me to take a bunch of them home. I went into my jewelry drawer & picked a vintage pair of earrings from my grandmother, dismantled them with some tools from school and connected them with the black shells. Slowly, more sparks of inspiration came to me, as I began collaborating with silversmiths from Taxco to make custom pieces.

Odissea pays homage to the ever-changing essence of nature, while preserving the legacy of mexican craftmanship.