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Designer Finds a Home at New African American Museum
The Smithsonian selected fine jewelry brand Mateo New York to retail at the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Matthew “Mateo” Harris, pictured left, and his Double Bar ring in 14-karat yellow gold with white diamonds ($495)
Washington--Museum gift shops are fertile retail ground for independent designers, but there is an extra layer of meaning associated with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
According to the Smithsonian, the just-opened museum is the first in the United States that is exclusively centered on African-American culture.
“This national museum helps to tell a richer and fuller story of who we are,” CNN reported President Obama as saying at the museum’s opening ceremony.
“By knowing this other story we better understand ourselves and each other,” he continued. “It binds us together. It reaffirms that all of us are America, that African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story. It is central to the American story.”
Mateo New York, a men’s and women’s fine jewelry brand, has been chosen to retail in the museum’s gift shop.
Lapis Bar earrings in 14-karat yellow gold with lapis ($650)
Harris hails from Jamaica and made the move to New York at age 16. He launched Mateo New York in 2009. He credits his seamstress mother for exposing him to design.
Now, Harris takes inspiration from his native Jamaica and New York when designing his graphic, architectural collections.
“My design is one of minimalism and simplicity,” he explained. “This has also become the DNA of the brand.”
Harris’ attributes his eye for color solely to his birth country.
“My Jamaican heritage and upbringing influences my work greatly,” he said. “The Jamaica national flag consists of the colors gold, green and black. In my creations, I tend to sneak this color scheme in the collection using yellow gold, black onyx and malachite. Its pays a subtle homage to Jamaica.”
Harris is aware of the significance of being involved with the museum.
He said, “African Americans are not widely represented in jewelry design. I believe it’s not a design or creative field we are necessarily exposed to. I wish in the future this would change.”
For more information, visit the Smithsonian website or MateoNewYork.com.
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