When Layla Kaisi launched her namesake collection in 2017,
she wasn’t just designing jewelry—she was crafting a new language of self-expression. Born in Baghdad and raised between cultures, the New Zealand-based designer brings a storyteller’s soul and a global eye to every one-of-a-kind piece.
Worn by icons including JLo, Selena Gomez, and Cardi B, Layla’s bespoke jewelry is loved for its beauty as well as its intention. With a fierce commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability, Kaisi partners directly with small-scale artisans around the world to ensure that each stone has a story. To her, jewelry isn’t a trend or an accessory—it’s living art.
We sat down with the visionary designer herself to talk about legacy, luxury, and why the truest beauty always starts from within.
You describe jewelry as “living art.” How did that philosophy shape the vision behind Layla Kaisi Collection?
I see jewelry as something that is almost alive. It is not static; it first begins by telling the stories and moments that are breathed into its creation, and from there it continues to evolve once it leaves my hands. It absorbs memory, energy, [and] movement; it lives alongside the person wearing it. I’m not interested in creating objects that sit still in time; I design pieces that symbolise transformation, to gather meaning, and to become inseparable from their wearer.
How do you approach design as a form of storytelling?
Every design begins with listening. Whether it’s a bespoke client or a conceptual collection, I start by first understanding what needs to be expressed: A transition, a reclaiming, a devotion, or something that is yet to take shape in words. This way, form follows emotion. The materials, proportions, and structure are all deliberate, chosen to communicate something that words often can’t. True luxury, to me, is timelessness anchored in meaning.
What’s it like seeing your deeply personal creations worn by cultural powerhouses?
It’s surreal, but also deeply affirming. These women are powerful in very different ways, and seeing my work resonate with them reminds me that strength and self-expression transcend any single aesthetic.
Why is ethical sourcing such a cornerstone of your brand?
Because true luxury cannot exist without integrity. I believe the origin of a gemstone matters just as much as its brilliance. Every material carries a history, and I’m committed to ensuring that history aligns with my values. When someone wears a Layla Kaisi piece, I want them to feel grounded in the piece, not disconnected from its origins.
What emotions or intentions do you hope people feel when wearing your pieces?
I hope they feel a profound sense of recognition of themselves, their journey, and everything they’ve become to arrive where they are. My pieces are not designed to disappear into the background; they are meant to affirm presence. Whether a piece marks love, loss, transformation, or achievement, I want it to embody strength and remembrance. Jewelry has the power to hold emotion and to turn memory into form.
What legacy do you hope your designs—and your story—leave in the world of fine jewelry?
I want to redefine what fine jewelry is capable of holding. Not just beauty or value, but consciousness, imagination, and transformation. My purpose is [to make] the abstract tangible. I want people to encounter a piece and feel their perception shift about themselves, about what luxury can mean, about what is possible. My hope is to build a true heritage house, one known not only for rare materials and exceptional craftsmanship, but for depth of vision.
With my legacy enduring, I want it to be remembered as work that expanded meaning itself. That challenged convention without chasing provocation. That elevated luxury beyond status into reverence— jewelry that didn’t follow the world as it was, but deliberately helped reimagine it.
