the designer.
Cheyenne Kimora is a self-taught designer redefining the boundaries between fashion and art. Born in Brooklyn, raised in Florida, and now based in Los Angeles, Cheyenne brings a bold, Caribbean-rooted vision to each handcrafted piece. Her work centers around crystal embellishments—meticulously applied by hand to denim, accessories, and ready to wear—transforming everyday items into wearable art.
Cheyenne:
It felt like I was finally breathing again — not in the sense of returning, but expanding. For a long time, I worked quietly, in isolation, unsure if the world would understand what I was building. The Opulent World wasn’t just a launch — it was a reveal. It marked the moment I stopped waiting for validation and started honoring the space I had already created.
The Lineage
CK: Your father and grandmother were both photographers and designers. How does that legacy echo through your work today?
The Becoming
CK: Looking back to when you first began hand-sewing crystals, what would you tell that version of yourself now?
In this intimate conversation, the designer sits down with her namesake brand to reflect on her evolution — tracing the threads that connect lineage, process, and becoming. Together, they explore how opulence and vulnerability coexist, how silence shapes creativity, and how legacy continues to guide the hand behind the atelier.
The Process
CK: Every piece in your world is handcrafted, often over months or years. How does time influence the way you create?
Cheyenne:
I would tell her to trust her hands. That everything she’s searching for — the validation, the belonging — will find her when she starts creating for herself again. Every stitch she makes will eventually tell the story she couldn’t yet put into words. And that the quiet seasons weren’t wasted — they were sacred.
Discover more stories from the Opulent World of CheyenneKimora →
The Awakening.
Cheyenne:
Time teaches me patience and reverence. The process of hand-beading is meditative — it’s slow, repetitive, and deliberate. It forces me to listen. Sometimes, I don’t realize what a piece is trying to say until I’ve been with it for weeks. I think that’s what makes it alive — the energy that builds between my hands and the material. It’s less about design and more about dialogue.
Cheyenne:
They taught me how to see — not just what’s in front of me, but what’s beneath it. My grandmother photographed people from our community, capturing the kind of beauty that lives in everyday life. My father had this way of finding stillness — turning ordinary moments into something cinematic. From them, I learned composition, patience, and reverence for light. I think that’s why I approach fabric the way I do. It’s the same practice of framing — only instead of film, I’m working with reflection, texture, and time.
Cheyenne:
For me, opulence isn’t about excess — it’s about intention. It’s about treating every detail with care, whether it’s a crystal on denim or the way something catches light in a room. Opulence is choosing beauty, even in small or unseen spaces. It’s the language I use to remind myself that softness can be strength.
The Opulence
CK: Opulence has become a defining language for your brand. What does it mean to you beyond its visual splendor?
CK: You recently opened the doors to your atelier for the first time through The Opulent World of CheyenneKimora.What did that moment signify for you?
becoming cheyennekimora
A conversation between creation and reflection — where legacy, intention, and self-discovery shape the hand behind the atelier.
photographer: nigel elliott
