Name: Hayley Kruger
Age: 37
Place of birth: Zimbabwe
Current residence: London, UK

I am Scottish, German and Norwegian, but I was born in Zimbabwe. I grew up in South Africa and then I migrated to London to broaden my horizons. I am an only child and come from a modest hard-working family.

The house that I grew up in was built on clay soil so I was always sculpting and baking the clay into bowls, sculptures and beads. I grew up creating things and that developed into dress making, jewellery design and art. Instead of going to fashion college I decided to travel for inspiration, when I finally settled down I found my calling in Jewellery and silversmithing.

Despite the vibrancy of my designs, I dress rather low-key. But I always add a splash of colour and bold jewellery. Collecting jewellery was my first love, and then came the designer title.

I design for my alter ego; the women that I imagined I would grow up to be. I get my inspiration from strong female icons such as Miriam Makeba, Barbarella, Joan of Arc and Cleopatra. But Southern Africa has the biggest influence on my work. The colours and cultures that I grew up with are ever present in my designs and they represent the strongest woman of all – Mother Nature.

Women are multi-faceted. We can achieve so much, whether it is in a single day or over a lifetime. And we have so much choice thanks to the determined women before us.

Photography by Condry Calvin Mlilo

I am Complexd because I can look back at how I have grown and evolved and use moments in my life (no matter how cringe worthy) to shape who I am today and who I am going to be. I am tenacious, loyal and proud and I look forward to what is still to come!

Shop Hayley Kruger’s designs here