MANILA, Philippines — This is what Nami wanted to evoke when it came to designing its first men’s line, Nami Man: a collaboration that felt like a natural progression in the relationship between the brand and local artist Mano Gonzales.
“Mano was there with us from the beginning — from our first-ever Nami shoot,” co-founder Ina Tirthdas reflects. “And we knew that it was important to collaborate with someone who understood our brand and its values.”
For his part, Mano counts himself among the many male customers who were drawn to the brand’s minimalist, unisex designs (such as its signet rings and medallion necklaces) from the beginning. “I would wear Nami pieces when I would draw or work out and do things outdoors,” he says. “But I would still look for pieces that were more matte or had a rougher texture.”
Homegrown jewelry label Nami collaborates with artist Mano Gonzales on an assortment of rings, cuffs and necklaces.
This desire for a more masculine approach to jewelry coupled with Mano’s rough, hand-drawn style of illustrations is reflected in each of the 14 pieces that made the cut for the first Nami Man collection. A thoughtfully restrained assortment of five rings, four cuffs, three necklaces, a tie bar and an earring.
Each piece is a visual interplay between an organic silhouette and a deliberately unpolished, industrial finish. The resulting lived-in feeling of which lends each design a modern heirloom feeling — as if it has always been a part of its wearer’s own personal history.
“I know that most men are hesitant about wearing jewelry, so I wanted the designs to be about their personal stories rather than jewelry as ornamentation.” Mano shares. “Each abrasion in each ring tells a story about the life of the object. It was very personal. And for me, things are more beautiful in their aged form.”
Each piece is a visual interplay between an organic silhouette and a deliberately unpolished, industrial finish.
Ina agrees, adding that “Nami has always been more about the person than the piece of jewelry.”
Designed to slip seamlessly into the wardrobes of all the different men that occupy a space in the Nami girl’s life, each unobtrusively simple design adapts to the ebb and flow of its owners lifestyle.
“I’d like to think most of the Nami Man pieces are only half-finished,” Mano says, “to be completed by the person who will end up wearing them.”