Heirlooms for The New Generation
In an exclusive editorial for office, singer Cailin Russo stood in front of the camera adorned in an array of mermaid-like multicolored wigs and accessorized with Kim's edgy, elegant new line. The images echo Kim's own ethos that she channels into each piece, conveying a sense of strength, a sense of longevity inspired by the sea and nature.
Not only has she made a major move and begun her jewelry journey, Kim's efforts extend into aiding her community as well. In support of young talent entering the high-end jewelry industry, she's launched the Bijules Incubator alongside her brand — a mentoring program especially targeting talents hailing from underrepresented communities.
Right after she took a dip into the ocean, she took the time to chat with office. Read below.
What are you doing in Fuerteventura?
My husband and I escaped New York during the pandemic. So we've been here for two years now. It's super soaked in nature. It's just volcanoes, there's barely any vegetation. We're surfing, hiking, just going on adventures, really. After, or during the pandemic and living in New York for 20 years, we were just like: "Okay, there's got to be something different."
I guess also New York during the pandemic was not really it. I was here in London. So that was like a ghost town. I heard that New York was even worse.
When you're working as hard as one works in an urban environment, and let's just say New York City is the top rank - I think London and London is super high expectation as well. But I think New York City is the craziest city on earth, to be honest. You can really turn over an idea in 24 hours which is super exhilarating. But during the pandemic, all of us are brought to like a virtual, clean slate. The things that make my job unique, that I can move so fast, that is brought to a literal halt. What made my work really cool for the moment wasn't possible at that time. When we all stopped, we were like: "Fuck, now we're all the same, right?"
Moving from New York to such a nature-based place like Fuerteventura must have had an impact on how you design your jewelry, no?
I think what was really important about that moment, was taking a monumental risk and following through with it. I think that dominates my work as a whole, that I'm a huge risk taker, and so are all of my clients. By moving from New York to Fuerteventura it was really a big ask for me to be able to continue making jewelry at the same level, because my normal habits of production were completely brought to a stop. I think that really put me in a place of contemplation, of reflection, of really honing in on the importance of what my work is and what defines it. What I started to understand is that it's the feeling of the piece, it's the storytelling of the piece - the piece itself is inactive. I'm the storyteller. It's also about representing what the future generation can do with this material and with the storytelling because it creates a circular motion. There's this really crazy intrinsic value in fine jewelry, which is very important to me as a jewelry designer, who comes from a non-traditional background, who doesn't come from generational wealth, who has worked a long and hard arduous path, to reach a certain level of success.
What have you done before you started with Bijules?
So I've been making jewelry for 20 years, and I started as a DJ and promoter in nightlife in New York City. So basically, before I did jewelry, I was partying.
That's great. I mean, you need some cool accessories for that as well.
Exactly! I mean, honestly it's not as dissimilar as what we're talking about right now, where there was a community, there was a need, but there was no object. So you speak the story into the object, and then the community is in there. It's the same thing now. I've built the community literally from the underground up. It's a beautiful challenge because the challenge is not just about who you're working with, but it's also you know, the visual storytelling and the product itself. I was excited to bring multicolored wigs with diamond jewelry, put them together and then cater to a specific genre of person. People who, for instance read Office Magazine, people who buy jewels, people who go to parties, people who uplift their communities, all this like-mindedness came together during this photoshoot.
How did you decide what colour you want for the wigs and what jewelry will go along with it?
With fine jewelry, because it has this dry standard, I would say that I wanted to bring movement, motion and texture to the photoshoot. I'm a water person. I literally just got out of the water. I also wanted to bring some of that into the storytelling. A lot of times Cailin was either in motion, or she's wet. That had a lot to do with the texture but also about where I am in my life. Being submerged in water, we are closest to the source. When you're in water as a creative you're a superconductor - shit just comes to you. Just now like a half an hour ago I was swimming underwater and I had an idea with this crazy pebble sand. I thought let's dry them, they'll bleach out, and then I'm going to do something with them. But I was under water when I came up with that.
That's like having the best ideas in the shower.
Yeah, totally! Because when you're under water or in the shower, there's nothing else rupturing it. You're just focused on what you're doing because you're under a different source. There's something really cleansing about that. Also, with the photoshoot there are only certain very simple components that will change the aesthetic. And then it's our vibe, it's our feeling that will create the image. I wanted also, for it to be super colourful, yet without it being over the top. I wanted the feeling that was generated from the imagery to be the empowerment, not only the wigs, per se. The wigs are just part of the visual storytelling a psalm to the jewelry. Although it's not the biggest or most prominent aspect of the photoshoot, it is the base of the photoshoot. I also represent a whole generation of people that I mentor, that I represent, that I push forward. This is not just me putting my foot in the door and closing it after someone walks through it, it's keeping my foot in the door the entire time for others to come through.
I saw that there's also a Bijules Incubator that supports jewelry talent development. Can you elaborate on that a bit more?
As I mentioned, I come from nightlife, from a very unique community. In terms of creating safety within that community, I'm constantly bringing people in, even if they don't want to.
I see. I guess you see a vision and their potential before they do.
It's exactly like that. I think that vision is something that's not specifically unique, because it's community, it's a shared vision. As a thought leader what I like to do is sort of create this calling and be able to create also the dialogue with the calling. When I speak to possible mentees, I don't speak to them on a condescending level, I speak to them on an equal level. I believe that a lot of times, people who come from non traditional backgrounds, they're constantly in the face of adversity, and it's fucking draining. Look at the jewelry industry, it's totally based on generational wealth and easy access, because you're born into it. It's based on just being rich, or all of these conditions of the luxury industry. Those are things that will immediately sway someone from even being a jewelry designer. They might be the dopest thing out there, and they don't even know it. I also think that the Bijules Incubator is a more formalised way of saying that I'm here for everyone. If you have a question, don't fear asking. I think that as a unit, because we come from adversity, there's a lot of fear and asking for help.
How many people are in your collective?
Right now, I probably have three or four mentees that I'm working with. And that's in service to however ― the work needs to be done for them. Each person has a different pursuit, has a different focus, and my role is different for each one. One is focused on helping someone become a grill maker, another one is focused on online marketing for the jewelry industry. It's literally about creating a safe place to make really individualistic policy.
