Once upon a time...
We met each other in college and formed an immediate bond as mixed millennials. Neither of us had ever met someone who was so different, yet so similar at the same time. Our shared experiences - the challenges & opportunities we’d both come across due to being multiracial & multiethnic - connected and united us. For 4 years we were best friends and saw each other every day, but we moved to different cities after graduation. Since then we have lived in different states, countries, and now even continents. Along the way, we decided to get matching necklaces to symbolize our closeness, despite the physical distance.
We always knew we wanted to create Mixed Millennial to connect and unite people of multiracial, multiethnic & multicultural backgrounds, but we didn’t know exactly how. A blog? A podcast? Clothing? Accessories? In person meet ups? Webinars? The possibilities seemed endless. So we decided to begin with the one thing that had been most meaningful to us over the years: A symbol - a physical treasure for our community members to have with them at all times - for the best moments and the worst ones. An emblem to be worn close to the heart as a reminder that your mixed community is always with you.
Designing our necklace took many months. We wanted it to be subtle yet overflowing with meaning. It had to be unique - just like each one of us - a new design with no pre-existing significance. And most importantly, it would embody the mixed experience - the duality - the imperfections and the beauty.
The image above shows the original sketches of the design we landed on (as well as our logo drawings in the bottom left corner). We agreed this design was perfectly mixed & imperfectly connected. Because it is a novel design & nothing like it exists, we knew we needed the help of jewelry experts to bring it to life. After weeks of work with designers from different parts of the world, we had our finished specs. For another few months, we evaluated many production partners in different countries. We had very specific criteria for our potential partners. For example, we knew we wanted our jewelry to be ethically sourced, handcrafted, and always made with quality materials. Once we landed on a few strong candidates, Ruby flew out to meet with the potential partners. She had meetings with the companies’ leaders, engaged with the employees and visited the studios where our pieces would be made.
After nearly a year of hard work, careful consideration of every detail, and infinite passion, these are the results: every Mixed Millennial piece is handcrafted with love and layered with meaning. We created this to be your everyday accessory and faithful reminder that you are perfectly mixed & imperfectly connected to a community that embraces and accepts you for YOU.
We want to hear from you! What does your Mixed Millennial necklace mean to you? What do you want us to create next? Sliiiiiide on into our DMs to share your thoughts with us!
Written by Ruby Herrera