NINAKURU
NINAKURU
Heirloom hats fuse Ecuadorian heritage with modern California refinement. The brief: articulate a brand that radiates the “inner light” behind its name (Quechua for firefly) while proving that ethical craft can sit at the pinnacle of luxury.
Research
Research
Working with Creative Director Jeff Uzzel, we spent a series of quiet, focused sessions in Jennifer Moray’s Ojai studio—interviewing her while documenting every hand-blocked hat. Jennifer’s stories about the Ecuadorian artisans she supports, and the deliberate pace of her craft, revealed a single truth: for Ninakuru, luxury begins as an inner light—respect for people, time, and skill that radiates outward.
Working with Creative Director Jeff Uzzel, we spent a series of quiet, focused sessions in Jennifer Moray’s Ojai studio—interviewing her while documenting every hand-blocked hat. Jennifer’s stories about the Ecuadorian artisans she supports, and the deliberate pace of her craft, revealed a single truth: for Ninakuru, luxury begins as an inner light—respect for people, time, and skill that radiates outward.
Research
Working with Creative Director Jeff Uzzel, we spent a series of quiet, focused sessions in Jennifer Moray’s Ojai studio—interviewing her while documenting every hand-blocked hat. Jennifer’s stories about the Ecuadorian artisans she supports, and the deliberate pace of her craft, revealed a single truth: for Ninakuru, luxury begins as an inner light—respect for people, time, and skill that radiates outward.
Design
Design
That light became the organising principle. We drew the firefly down to a single-stroke glyph and paired it with a restrained serif word-mark. A palette of off-white straw, earthen pink, and warm metal keeps attention on craftsmanship, while patterning borrows the cadence of tight toquilla weaves. Slow-stitch macro imagery acts as hero art, and collection names—Aurora, Ember, Glow—extend the radiance narrative.
That light became the organising principle. We drew the firefly down to a single-stroke glyph and paired it with a restrained serif word-mark. A palette of off-white straw, earthen pink, and warm metal keeps attention on craftsmanship, while patterning borrows the cadence of tight toquilla weaves. Slow-stitch macro imagery acts as hero art, and collection names—Aurora, Ember, Glow—extend the radiance narrative.
Design
That light became the organising principle. We drew the firefly down to a single-stroke glyph and paired it with a restrained serif word-mark. A palette of off-white straw, earthen pink, and warm metal keeps attention on craftsmanship, while patterning borrows the cadence of tight toquilla weaves. Slow-stitch macro imagery acts as hero art, and collection names—Aurora, Ember, Glow—extend the radiance narrative.
Development
Development
Care is built into every touchpoint.
Packaging Debossed hat boxes lined with recycled cotton rag, numbered by hand and tied with vintage grosgrain.
Collateral Hang-tags, band guidelines, gift boxes, tissue, and thank-you cards, all colour-matched to the core palette.
Digital A Shopify theme, materials-tracker icons, and story-highlight templates, compiled into a 40-page brand manual.
Care is built into every touchpoint.
Packaging Debossed hat boxes lined with recycled cotton rag, numbered by hand and tied with vintage grosgrain.
Collateral Hang-tags, band guidelines, gift boxes, tissue, and thank-you cards, all colour-matched to the core palette.
Digital A Shopify theme, materials-tracker icons, and story-highlight templates, compiled into a 40-page brand manual.
Development
Care is built into every touchpoint.
Packaging Debossed hat boxes lined with recycled cotton rag, numbered by hand and tied with vintage grosgrain.
Collateral Hang-tags, band guidelines, gift boxes, tissue, and thank-you cards, all colour-matched to the core palette.
Digital A Shopify theme, materials-tracker icons, and story-highlight templates, compiled into a 40-page brand manual.
Concept
Concept
Let inner light meet master craft. By foregrounding the slow, human hands behind every weave and stitch, Ninakuru shows that true luxury is the glow of integrity made tangible.
Let inner light meet master craft. By foregrounding the slow, human hands behind every weave and stitch, Ninakuru shows that true luxury is the glow of integrity made tangible.
Concept
Let inner light meet master craft. By foregrounding the slow, human hands behind every weave and stitch, Ninakuru shows that true luxury is the glow of integrity made tangible.
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