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New York City–based designer Casey Perez unexpectedly created her jewelry line after stumbling across a metalsmithing course in college. Her seasonless, sculptural pieces aim to merge imaginative, artful design with sustainable craftsmanship. We spoke with her about creating a space that highlights Latinx heritage.
As a first-generation Mexican-American woman, I’ve always straddled two worlds. I’m not just Mexican or American, but a complex collage of both–and it’s these various bits and pieces from each culture that have ultimately shaped my unique identity and outlook. This multicultural worldview is one that I embrace when it comes to my designs. In the same way that I am not just one thing, neither is Artifacts. I look for inspiration far and wide from the work of Mexican architects to Swedish furniture designers. My designs are an interaction of cultures and influences filtered through my unique lens, which, in the end, come together to produce something much more beautiful and complex.
Growing up, I never would have imagined that I would become a jewelry designer. The fashion world always seemed like a very exclusive, homogeneous space reserved for those with credentials from prestigious fashion schools or the right kind of pedigree. I’ve felt like a bit of an outsider at times, but the hard work ethic that my mother brought from her life in Mexico really made an impression on me. She was always hustling to create a better life for us. Her resilience inspires me and drives me to push forward no matter how tough the going gets. As a first-generation American, I’ve been the first to do a lot of things in my family and I’m especially proud that I can count being a designer as one of them. It feels all the more important for me as a Latinx designer to make my voice heard in this space and normalize diverse backgrounds and experiences like mine so that the next generation of designers can see that there is a place for them in this industry.
