Kesi Gibson, founder and designer forKyuMélange, is a Jamaican who is taking the global fashion market by storm with her lux accessories line – Kyu Mélange. An extraordinary artistic soul that launched her company in 2013 she deals in lux leather bags and accessories which are manufactured in Colombia. Kyu is based in New York but distributes globally to North America, Dubai and Central America.
Kyu Mélange pronounced (Q-Meh-Longe) is a very unique brand that exemplifies cultural fusion.
The collection fuses raw materials sourced from various countries including Italy, Austria, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, India, Ethiopia, Senegal and Jamaica. Founder Kesi Gibson has all of her products handmade in Colombia.
The result is a unique and highly individualized line of luxury products designed to allow women and men to express their edgy yet sophisticated style. It was her need to integrate her passion for design, culture and the Arts with her business savvy that helped to open the door for Kesi Gibson’s foray into the fashion industry.
A native of Kingston, Jamaica and the daughter of a fashion designer, Kesi began honing her artistic talents at a young age. Unlike many of her peers who dreamed of more conventional careers in medicine or law, Kesi envisioned a different future. Her path to Kyu Mélange is both unconventional and extraordinary.
A trained ballet dancer, Kesi began her undergraduate degree in Dance and Theatre at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.She made a detour to Economics and International Relations after a devastating ankle injury. An internship at Goldman Sachs provided a launch pad for her entrance into financial services. During her time on Wall Street she had a successful career working at top-tier financial institutions including Deutsche Bank, J.P. Morgan and VeronisSuhler Stevenson.
,p>According to Kesi, it was in March 2010 that she mustered up enough conviction to step off the beaten path and to begin looking for a way to integrate more of her art into her anxiety ridden work-life, which was full of spreadsheets and financial models. The creation of Kyu Mélange was inspired from her cultural explorations and global escapades. “I literally got lost in the world and found magic”, she admits.
Thanks to her experience and training, received most recently from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, along with her artistic ability, supportive advisory board members and her motivated team, Kyu Mélange is supported by an immensely inspiring, creative infrastructure and an impact-driven ethos.
Kesi hopes her designs will transcend fashion through impact. In fact, the very mission of Kyu Mélange – an embodiment of progressive fashion is supported by the kesi-kesi impact project. The overarching goal of the impact programme is to empower women in creative industries through targeted education. The pilot focuses on “The Business of Fashion” in Colombia, where the Kyu Mélange production is executed; in the Caribbean where the founder was born, and in New York City.
Being pragmatic, Kesi realizes the journey ahead will include many rivers to cross, but she is confident in her ability to actualize her vision. We’re proud of yet another Jamaican making waves internationally.