New York-based footwear designer Armando Cabral, known for his eponymous luxury label and A CASA home line, describes his work as a marriage of African heritage and European craftsmanship — making his latest partnership with Swiss modular furniture brand USM feel like a natural evolution. NKYINKYIM, his new collection with the brand, is tight and considered, spanning a bookshelf, bed, end table, chairs, and a valet tray. It debuted as a shop-in-shop installation at USM’s showroom during New York Fashion Week and is now available to purchase and customize online.
The name NKYINKYIM comes from an Adinkra symbol created by the Akan people of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in the early 1800s. More than a nod to Armando’s West African roots, it represents movement, adaptability, and progress — both collective and personal. “To me, the modular nature of USM’s designs symbolizes that — the way each component forms a cohesive, functional structure,” Armando explains.
