Kerin Rose Gold
Issue n.7 — May 5, 2025

Kerin Rose Gold

Living an art-ful life.
24Tth And 3rd Avenue.

Kerin Rose Gold is a contemporary crystal art vanguard, redefining the craft through her pioneering work in fashion and beyond. Her studio, a-morir, has been at the forefront of embellished avant-garde eyewear, accessories, and objets d’art since its inception in 2008.

A New York native born in 1983, Gold’s work has been celebrated globally and embraced by leading pop icons. Her a-morir creations have been a disruptive force in luxury eyewear, distinguished by their audacious designs and flawless craftsmanship. Yet, this trendsetting brand is just one outlet for her irreverent and unique spirit.

An upstart creator since childhood, this native New Yorker graduated with honors from NYU with a degree in pop culture history, linking her love of art, music, and costuming while delving deep into the French existentialist concept of the “spectacle.” Gold’s eclectic resume includes many notable achievements: she designed SUPRA’s first women’s sneaker, has been repeatedly published in Nylon and Teen Vogue, and was featured as a New Talent and Emergin Designer by Vogue Italia. Her innovative approach has also been acknowledged through her role as an official Pinterest creative and a credited designer on Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour.

Becoming an eyewear icon and cult-loved artist was never part of the plan for this multi-faceted creator, but it fits. No one sees the world quite like her.

When you first meet Gold, you instantly know she is an artist — her bright orange and pink hair, Razzle Dazzle finger tattoos, and diamond inlay on her tooth make it clear that she lives, eats, and breathes bling. Always drawn to embellishment, she felt most comfortable in clothes and accessories that served as an extension of her art,

and she views eyewear as miniature canvases or sculptures to conceptually reinvent each time. As someone with tactile tendencies she calls herself slow to adapt to technology but recently pulled out a stunning prototype of a pair of sunglasses that looked like water splashing, 3D designed and printed in a-morir studio — an embodiment of her unique vision.

Gold lives and works at 24th and 3rd, with her studio next door. She moved to NoMad in 2007, shifting office spaces within the neighborhood until 2021, when she finally secured a space right next to her home.

At 16, she was diagnosed with a severe case of ulcerative colitis, a battle that defined her life until she found a drug therapy that put her in remission at 25. Her existence, she said, had been centered around “trying not to die.” While ill, she took on various jobs in the music and marketing industries, keeping her illness private. Everything changed when she was fired by a respected boss. Breaking down in tears, she finally shared her struggle. Instead of advising her to stay in her career, he encouraged her to take a simple job — at a coffee shop or a fashion store — to pay the bills while giving herself permission to explore what she truly wanted.

That moment changed everything. For the first time, she was “very happy, and very broke!” And the shift gave her time to get back to her art. Her breakthrough came from a mistake. Expecting a trade-in for a new BlackBerry, she bought crystals to bedazzle the device. Realizing she was a year too early for the upgrade, she used the crystals on a pair of sunglasses instead. During a time when minimal eyewear was in vogue, her crystallized sunglasses became an instant sensation.

On a typical studio day, you’ll find Gold in a practical yet color and pattern heavy ensemble of oversized jeans with deep pockets, slip-on shoes, a vintage t-shirt, and an oversized cardigan. Her studio, a creative hub, opens at 10 am, with her team arriving by 11 am. She employs two to four regular staff members, along with flexible hires that step up for large projects. She fosters a fun, supportive workplace, calling her team the Crystal Collision and mentoring them on tackling new surfaces and angles. They often work while watching “30 Rock,” “Sex and the City,” or “Will & Grace” — their self-proclaimed “emotional support” shows. A working disco ball hangs from the ceiling, adding to the studio’s playful energy.

Gold has been fortunate that her reputation means that clients come to her. Her line of home goods transforms everyday items from “Home Goods to Home Great,” and she frequently works on corporate projects, notably in the beauty industry for brand launches. Her celebrity clientele includes everyone from Rihanna, to Paris Hilton, to Serena Williams, and a-morir has been a credited designer on Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour and Broadway’s “Death Becomes Her.”

As a child, her favorite word was “why” and she told us she was always questioning and seeking logical explanations. She was enrolled in art classes in Kindergarten and was drawn to painting and sculpture from a young age. Gold’s world is an explosion of color, creativity, and unyielding passion and her journey — marked by resilience, reinvention, and radical self-expression — mirrors the spirit of NoMad itself: eclectic, vibrant, and unapologetically bold.

Kerin Rose Gold’s Favorite NoMad Spots:

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