Meet: Kamal Patel
Founder of: KAMAL
Tell us about your business:
Mission: To give, keep and pass ON!
Human connection. A story written. Heritage heirlooms. Isn’t this what we all long for in our everyday but don’t realize it until we find an old photo from 20 years ago? Nostalgia. Something I can pass down to my daughter and gift to my mother. Or pass down to my son to create his own legacy for his future while keeping a part of me. Loving myself enough to write to my “future self” reminding me of my journey through the jewels I wear.
Effortless heirloom jewelry and a simple handwritten note waiting to be reread provides that sense of connection to family and friends we all long for. Using her own paper designs as her muse, Kamal transformed her bejeweled card designs into jewelry on edge. Taking cues from her heritage and hues from her culture, she disrupts the cliche niche of Eastern motifs and turns you ON to the bold statements of beauty to the West.
This is the legacy behind KAMAL, a designer brand creating patterns and designs for keepsake notecards and fine jewelry - to give, keep and pass ON.
We believe in:
Authenticity: Creating unique designs inspired by my cultural heritage and global travels.
Quality: Using only the best materials—from luxe 100% cotton paper to precious 18K metals and gorgeous gemstones.
Sentimentality: Inspiring poignant memories and feelings of nostalgia through high-quality pieces designed to stand the test of time.
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
Just start.
Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when you were first starting out?Nothing. Not knowing is sometimes the best blessing. I truly believe we are all here to create our own story. We all learn differently and our paths are so unique to us. We have all these chapters in our book and it is up to us to fill them up with our own words.
I graduated from Art School (Pratt, Brooklyn NY) in the 90’s. I got married fairly young, moved far from my NJ home to VA (5 hrs) and had my children living in a place I didn’t even know well. I truly had to do everything by myself with my husband - without family and friend support. I used to be in the best location any designer would dream of and then everything switched off like a light. It was pretty lonely and my best friends were my kids as my husband would work long hours.
I had to write my own chapters and fill up my book. It was hard. It tested my creative talent, it made me want more, I felt more ambitious. Every small win was a big win in my book. Finding and scouting a local paper manufacturer, win. Kids taking a nap so I can work, win. Dropping and picking up 3 kids at 3 different schools and still being able to create designs and go on press checks, win. Showing off my first collection of 42 designs that were sprawled on my bed for months or in the kids playroom, win. Winning “Best of Show” though at my first trade show at Jacob Javits Center, BIG WIN. Collaborating with WEST ELM for a holiday dinnerware set, BIG WIN. Signing an exclusive deal with Bella Figura, a wedding letterpress company on Lexington in NYC, BIG WIN. Collaborating with SEPHORA for inclusivity and standing for (31.Y) skin color in their “Best Skin Ever Foundation”, BIG WIN. Pivoting and connecting paper to jewels during Covid - the BIGGEST WIN. Today, featured in Conde Nast, Town & Country, Daily Front Row, Elle, E! - all BIG WINS.
The biggest win though looks different now. I look back and wonder how I did it all and kept it going for so long. I never missed a moment in my 3 kid’s lives because we just didn’t have it all and it was at times very lonely. I realize now they were my biggest cheerleaders, even as toddlers. We were learning together. They came with me to my press checks, waited to see all my news, read my press with me and were my greatest teachers. Raising 3 kids at home (WFH used to be a taboo believe it or not) while my husband would be off to work, I never missed their moments.
If I knew too much before, I wouldn’t have learned so much on my own. Social Media is wonderful, but we all know too much now which could be a curse at times. I was blessed I did most of this without Social Media. Even though I say I didn’t have any support physically, I was lucky enough to have my parents support me in my decision to initially go to Art School when no Indian people were really going or being supported to “create”. They still were a phone call away, BIG WIN.
Without the little wins, I wouldn’t have truly appreciated my big wins.
Name the biggest overall lesson you've learned in running a business?
I have learned that comparison is the thief of joy and always be kind.
Does your culture influence your choices and decisions? If yes, how?
I am my culture. I have a degree in Bharat Natyam, performed my Arengetram at 16. My entire life, I used to dance. Everyone knew this too. My mom is a dance choreographer and we would go to all these competitions throughout the country. My weekends and weekdays were spent dancing, perfecting solos or routines with friends, hours upon hours. Wish there was TikTok then! I danced solo at the Indian Embassy. Danced in musicals and performed in state theatres. We won most, came 2nd in some and even 3rd, but it truly was love at first sight. It taught me that it’s OK to fail at times but you have to get back up and do a new routine, a better one. In business it’s the same. When something doesn’t work, it doesn't mean you failed, it means you learned, you succeeded in learning from your mistakes. Strive for the best but never stop. I teach my 3 this everyday. My parents basement still has costumes, boxes and hangers FULL of them and about 300 + trophies. It’s something to see, all that gold. Those metallic mirrors and sheer fabrics adorning our walls. I still go down there at times and remember those days, much of my design elements are inspired from them. Patterns picked from traveling through India every 2 years. The gold trophies, the bright colors from my first stationery collection full of pinwheels, starbursts and antique gold beads. The reflection of the tiny mirrors on the outfits. The smell of India. Colors plucked from peacocks were borrowed in my first stationery collection and from that paper collection, the new EyeAdore™ collection was born. They are just a little different, in complex there is simplicity. In East there is West.
In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build your resolve?
I turn off Social Media. I turn off anything that influences me in a negative way. I turn ON to myself, my roots, my inspiration and my identity. I turn ON to podcasts, listen to people’s stories and how they forged forward. I think about my parents as immigrants having nothing, in a new place creating opportunities without knowing English well and living off food stamps at a point in their lives. Now, my dad has his own Mechanical Engineering Co. and my mom worked at Johnson and Johnson as a Scientist before she followed her passion in teaching dance! I think of myself in a new place and I realize I have nothing to complain about. I do what my dad says, move ON.
What tool, object, or ritual could you not live without in your workday?
Though I value paper to pen, I am a graphic designer by trade so I would have to say my computer! I basically zone out when I am on it. I go between that and my sketch book but most everything I do lies in my Mac. This is where I bring things in, complete sketches, moodboards, copy and paste old sketches, write notes, schedule my calendar, edit my photography, take my orders, update my website. Everything in one place which makes my life a lot easier having children and managing their schedules as well.
How do you balance your workload? What does self-care look like for you?
“This too shall pass, This too shall pass, This too shall pass” is my mantra when I have a large workload, mixed in with other priorities like family life and social needs. Trust me, I have been working at this balancing act for a long time. I feel as though society puts so much pressure on balancing everything that sometimes you feel like you are out of balance - when you aren’t! I guess I just start, one step at a time, making sure you have your list of priorities and eventually the balancing act balances itself out. What's meant to be will be.
My biggest self care is taking naps, especially when the sun hits your face at the right spot. I love a good nap, turning everything ironically OFF.
Discover more:
www.onkamal.com
@onkamal
