ABOUT KAMI & KINDRED
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Kami & Kindred is all about natural beauty and embracing a softer, slower way of life. A carefully crafted collection of hand-made, ceramic jewellery and homewares of both beauty and function for everyday essential rituals.

Each item is handcrafted by me, in every sense of the word. The process includes sourcing natural materials, working the clay, wheel throwing or hand-building the domestic ware, mixing and applying specialty glazes. Everything is made in our 100% solar powered studio.

The ceramic jewellery pieces are shaped by hand from stoneware or porcelain clays that have been mixed with a touch of energised sand from our stunning beaches here in Nelson, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Each piece then goes through two firings; a bisque and a glaze fire - this is what makes them super strong. Recently we have worked with a jeweller in Italy to produce 9ct gold creole earrings to pair with our abstract porcelain shapes for our Seaside Wayfarer jewellery collection.

'Kami', [Pronounced car-me] a Japanese word that translates to ‘the divinity in all things’, and ‘Kindred’ celebrating a connection to all people and things.

Kami & Kindred is not just another designer brand, but an ethical, slow-fashion company, proud to be part of a global movement towards self-love and empowerment.

Our goal is to contribute to a more sustainable, creative and beautiful world by embracing key concepts of Japanese aesthetics and also the principle of slow fashion:

Slow Fashion
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'Fast fashion' is a contemporary term used by retailers and designers to describe a phenomenon and business model that is widely implemented around the world. It describes the method of imitating trends and styles seen on the runways at Fashion Week. These styles are then sold at a lower price and quality to the majority of consumers who cannot afford the designer pieces.

At Kami & Kindred, we utilise 'Slow Fashion'. Slow Fashion is the movement of designing, creating, and buying garments, or in our case accessories for quality and longevity. Slow fashion encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints, and (ideally) zero waste. 
 

Japanese Asthetics
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The Japanese aesthetic is a set of ancient ideals that include wabi (transient and stark beauty), sabi (the beauty of natural patina and ageing), and yūgen (profound grace and subtlety). These ideals, and others, underpin much of Japanese cultural and aesthetic norms on what is considered tasteful or beautiful.

Wabi Sabi
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'Wabi-sabi' is a concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics constituting a worldview centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".

While  "defining wabi sabi in physical terms is like explaining the taste of a piece of chocolate by its shape and color." (Wong & Hirano) the characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes. Perfection is found in the imperfections.

At Kami & Kindred, each item is made by hand, without the use of stamps, casts or cutters and is subjected to the vagaries of glazing and firing. This means every single piece is a slightly different shape, weight or colouration from the one before it, which we think just makes your chosen piece that much more personal, beautiful and unique to you. Perfectly imperfect.

ABOUT HAYLEY
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Hayley Thomas is an artist and designer working with clay as her primary medium. She has a strong interest in organic abstract forms, natural materials and traditional methods. Her works embrace the wabi-sabi Japanese philosophy and Scandinavian minimalist aesthetics.

In her work, she aims to highlight the inherent beauty of the medium through self-taught technique and design. Her wheel-thrown and hand-built works are made in her solar-powered studio in Nelson, NZ. 

Hayley's ceramics are objects of art and beauty for the home with function and for everyday use. She seeks to stimulate the senses of sight and touch through form and texture and to encourage a softer, slower, more connected way of life.

She also has an interest in fashion and design having explored sewing and textiles, photography, web design, branding and event staging before discovering her current love of ceramics.

Hayley is also a busy mother of three young girls, and a qualified nutritionist.