Khoi

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The Story Behind KHOI: Life, Leap, and Legacy

Hello and welcome to the heart of our brand!

I always love writing these statements of self, but it is incredibly important for you to get to know the name and the face behind your current or future favorite brand: KHOI. My journey to creating this brand is one of deep cultural roots, creative duality, and the beautiful accident of what I call unintentional intentionality.

My Roots: From Accra to Artistry

My name is Hayet (hah-yeTTTTT), the Arabic word for Life—a testament to the hopes my parents had for who I would become. I was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, to a Ghanaian mother and a Lebanese-Ghanaian father. My childhood was a vibrant immersion in art, literature, and design, which fundamentally shaped my worldview.

A Love of Literature: I spent countless hours lost in the works of African literary giants like Chinua Achebe and Sembène Ousmane, learning the power of story and cultural reflection.
A Masterclass in Design: My mother, an interior designer and avid art collector, provided my first hands-on education. I spent many days in her world, observing and learning firsthand from some of Ghana’s greatest artists. This early exposure instilled a deep appreciation for process, technique, and lasting aesthetic impact.

I dedicated the final years of high school to Art and Literature before moving to the U.S. to study Communications and Photography at The College of Wooster in Ohio.

The Duality of a Creative Strategist

My 15-year career has been defined by a constant, productive duality: the artist and the strategist.

After graduation, I dove into the energetic advertising industry, where I spent eight formative years developing a deep love for brand storytelling and strategy. I learned how to build worlds around products. I then switched gears entirely, translating those skills into the fast-paced tech world as a creative strategist.

This constant juggling act—the emotional, expressive artist on one hand, and the analytical, strategic leader on the other—nurtured my ability to take some of life’s biggest leaps. I am expressive and see the world and its objects as a multi-layered reality. With KHOI, I don’t just design jewelry; I tell stories of my journey through a different medium, with our customers as the canvas of my ever-changing expression.

How KHOI Began: The Happy Accident

My journey into KHOI was, initially, an unexpected turn. I don’t call myself a jewelry designer; I am an artist who happens to be using metal and stone as my current expressive language.

Years ago, I found myself in conversation with a major jewelry brand about a potential capsule collection. They envisioned a small line of luxury jewelry (think solid gold and diamonds). My team convinced me to give it a chance, but I had one non-negotiable condition: I demanded full creative control, including the ability to name the collection, design the packaging, and lead all campaigns.

This led to my first leap of faith: I decided to self-fund the design and production of thousands of luxury velvet jewelry bags to ensure the packaging matched the brand experience I envisioned.

When the deal ultimately fell through, I was left with thousands of these highly luxurious velvet bags. Instead of walking away, I decided to take a chance and create my own pieces to fill them—at least until the bags ran out.

Two years later, we have a beautiful retail store in Chicago and countless amazing KHOI babes around the world! What started as over-luxurious, over-engineered packaging became the ethos of the entire brand experience: Always over-delivering, with excellence as the bare minimum.

P.S. You might be wondering about the name itself. I could spend a lot of words telling you, but I would rather you hear me say it.

The Inspiration Behind the Collections

The short answer for what inspires our pieces is EVERYTHING and anything.

When I took the leap into this brand, I promised myself to approach it how I knew best: as art. My goal is to dedicate myself to telling the brand and product story in a way that creates a deeper connection with you, our customer.

A Reflection of Self: With each collection, I start with a reflection of who I am, what I am going through, and my outlook on the world at that given time.
Meaningful Design: Every design choice, every technique, and every material has a deeper meaning than just aesthetic appeal. The product isn’t just an accessory; it becomes wearable art.

I invite you to learn more by checking out my Sketchbook [Link to Sketchbook], a dedicated collection of my inspiration and thought process that will make you love your KHOI even more.

My Dreams for the KHOI Legacy

It feels vulnerable to write out my dreams on a brand website, but KHOI is more than just jewelry. This brand is about taking big leaps, embracing duality, and making your indelible mark on the world.

My deepest prayer is that this brand lives beyond me, and that the women and men who wear KHOI become bolder, louder, and more confident with each collection they embrace.

The Powerhouse Team

I may be the founder, but there is a POWERHOUSE of strong women who keep the brand going and help make each of you feel even more special.

KHOI does not exist without the dedication of every single person on our team: from our operations and finance leaders to the fulfillment team, to the retail team, from the comms team to the social team, from the customer service team to the design team, from our manufacturing partners to the engineers that turn my ideas into reality.

I pray that you feel all their hard work and sacrifices in every single package you receive and at every touchpoint of the brand.

I love you all and thank you for diving deep into this beautiful journey that is ours.