Our Story
If you’ve noticed the stamp on many of our products, you might be wondering what it means. It’s a mash-up of our names—Em (엠) and Ray (레이)—spelled out in the ever-so-sleek Korean Hangul (엠레이).
Why Hangul? We love that question, actually.
Emma and Raymundo met for the first time at a 7/11 in South Korea back in 2013. Ray was there for adventure and Emma was there for heritage. And also adventure. Somewhere between shared stories and late-night snacks, this journey became ours.
Our stamp is a symbol of our origins as a couple and ongoing union.
It’s a promise that what you wear was designed with warmth of soul and joy of heart.
It also suggests that some amount of booze might have been involved. Was it tequila? Soju? We can’t remember. But the warmth of soul? Definitely present. Waffle-out-the-toaster warm. As toasty as toes tucked in Summer sand.
Oh, and it might also be lucky or something.
We’ve got our fingers crossed for you, homies!
WHAT’S A KEEDGH?
Act 1:
기지배야 – (ki-ji-bae-ya)
(noun)
1- A weak insult used between close female friends.
2- Gentle version of “you cheeky little sh*t”
Act 2:
Meet Emma (*hi!).
Her mom’s Korean. (*안녕!)
I’m going to guess that when you (yes, the one reading) were a kid, your mom called you something like, “sweety,” “kiddo,” or “get your ass back here, cabron!”
Emma’s mom called her “ki-ji-bea-ya.”
She yelled it from the kitchen to call her down for dinner. She called it from the driver’s seat when she picked her up from school. She said it when Emma missed a note on the piano.
Her brother called her ki-ji-bea-ya too.
But as brothers do, over the years he shortened it to Ki-ji-bea, and then again to Ki-ji.
Eventually, he got it down to a single syllable. “Keeeeeeeeeeedgh!”
