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.
True to USM’s legacy, each piece in NKYINKYIM is packed with function, but the undisputed standout is the asymmetrical platform bed. Done entirely in Armando’s signature orange (a hue you’ll also find stitched and embroidered throughout his own homeware line), it’s as much a visual statement as it is a feat of functionality. Here, bedroom storage isn’t just an afterthought — it’s quite literally the foundation of the design, with built-in compartments forming the platform and side tables.
“My vision for this collection was about pushing the limits of a modular system,” the designer tells Livingetc. “Having the storage seamlessly integrated into the bed just made sense to me,” he continues, mirroring the movement and meaning of the NKYINKYIM symbol itself.
Though New York Fashion Week has wrapped, the connection between Armando’s sartorial world and USM’s modernist aesthetic gives this collection staying power well beyond the season. “Fashion Week is a bit of a homecoming,” Armando shares. “It’s crazy, as you know, but it’s also time to gather with friends and be seen. Since this partnership is so close to me personally, I couldn’t imagine celebrating the opening any other time.”
Blending USM’s modular precision with the organic textures and colors Armando holds close, NKYINKYIM isn’t just furniture: it’s a collection of culture — storage turned statements — and design philosophy in motion.
Ahead, shop, customize, and explore this one-of-a-kind collaboration.
“At its core, ARMANDO CABRAL A CASA is about celebrating the art of living — blending culture, creativity, and community,” Armando shares. “This partnership with USM allows us to tell that story in a fresh and inspiring way, uniting tradition with modern functionality.”
