Sustainable Design

After graduating from Parsons in 2000, jewelry designers Katie deGuzman and Michael Miller spent most of the following decade working in the accessories industry before launching K/LLER COLLECTION, their eco-friendly label. But rather than inspire them, they say, designing for other labels mostly taught them what not to do. “Everything was made overseas,” says Miller. “The quality was terrible not knowing who was making these things or where they were coming from and what the conditions were… it became a little mindless.” And so, deGuzman and Miller now make all of their pieces in the United States, using recycled materials, and maintain a close relationship with everyone involved in production. Armed with $75,000 as the winners of the 2014 CFDA/Lexus Eco-Fashion Challenge, the duo plans to continue their eco-conscious ways and start advertising them. Says deGuzman: “People are seeing that beautiful luxury jewelry can be sustainable as well.”