G E N E A L O G Y

Genealogy is a journey tracing Kris’ family’s lineage and ancestry. She is a carrier of a genetic blood disorder, Hereditary Elliptocytosis. This illness led her to embark upon a project to find the origins of the disorder. Her first collection Hematology captured the essence of the irregular blood smears through illustrations and beautiful womenswear garments. After a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico and learning about he usage of florals from the Zapotecs, Kris was inspired to lean into her ancestor’s knowledge and study her family’s health history. This led her to travel through Mississippi’s rural towns, discovering stories from her family’s rich heritage one flower petal at a time. The evolving virtual exhibition focused on insight to the stories within our families that must be told and faced for true self discovery and healing.

View a few clips and images from the Genealogy exhibition below:

After searching for the oldest family members through my lineage, I found out about my oldest living cousin Mr. James Allen. This is where the knowledge and unfolding of the Genealogy project really began.

H E M A T O L O G Y

The Hematology Collection is inspired by a blood disorder that Kris was diagnosed with as a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This genetic illness, Hereditary Elliptocytosis only affects 1 in every 3,000 to 5,000 people. Kris has had a lifetime of visits to the Hematologist watching the colors of blood flow through syringes over and over again. It was in 2016 when Kris had a gallbladder attack on a trip to Paris, which is a common by product of the disorder. She spent a week in the hospital with jaundiced eyes before having an emergency surgery, and that's when the Hematology collection was born. Doctors brought in microscopic images of Kris’ abnormally shaped blood smears, which were used to create textile prints, shapes, and silhouettes for a capsule womenswear collection.