Pepe is a jewellery and adornments artist working under the name ThreadsXDreads. Her practice is rooted in handcraft, and she is deliberate about keeping it that way. Each piece she makes is produced slowly, by hand, with attention to the materials and the process behind it.

Her work draws on ancient civilizations, folklore, mythology, and imagined histories. The aesthetic is considered and distinctive. Rather than following seasonal trends, she builds a visual language that feels like it belongs to a world of her own construction. The result is jewellery that reads less like an accessory and more like an object with a backstory. What follows is a profile of how she got there, and what she is working toward.

A Childhood Spent Making Things

Pepe grew up making things: drawing, building, taking objects apart to understand how they worked. Her mother is a seamstress, which meant she was around tools, fabrics, and materials from an early age. Handling things with her hands was simply part of how she grew up.

“As a child, I was constantly making things. My room was my little studio and if I wasn’t drawing, painting, or taking something apart, I was figuring out how to build it back together in a different way.”

That early familiarity with making shaped how she approaches her craft now. The process itself matters as much to her as the finished object, and that value shows up consistently in the work she produces.

How Locs and Jewellery intertwined

Pepe’s path into jewellery began through her personal experience with locs. She started locking her own hair out of curiosity, and people in her community began asking her to work on their hair. She learned through practice, and gradually that work became a profession.

At the same time, she was making adornments alongside the hair work, exploring materials and techniques because she genuinely enjoyed it. The two practices developed in parallel, and ThreadsXDreads became the space where they came together.

“ThreadsXDreads is where everything I’d been drawn to throughout my life finally found a home. It’s the most natural extension of who I am.”

Working closely with people through locs also shaped her understanding of what adornment means. It is personal, ongoing, and connected to identity in ways that go beyond aesthetics.

A Visual Language Rooted in Mystery and Imagined History

Pepe’s design references are wide-ranging: ancient civilizations, forgotten rituals, abandoned architecture, folklore, science fiction, and antique objects. She is interested in the parts of history that are incomplete or unknown, and she uses that space to create.

“I’ve always been drawn to things that feel like they have a history. I think mystery is powerful because it invites people to imagine rather than gives them all the answers.”

Her pieces are not recreations of any specific culture or period. They are constructed from a combination of references that she shapes into her own visual world. The goal is for someone to pick up one of her pieces and feel like they have found something, rather than bought something.

The Place of Patience and Craft in Her Practice

Handcraft takes time, and Pepe builds her process around that rather than working against it. She sees patience and presence as core to the quality of the work, not as obstacles to productivity.

“I no longer see creativity as chasing constant novelty, but as the quiet discipline of showing up, refining and allowing something to evolve over time.”

She is direct about what this means in practice. Craftsmanship, to her, is not defined by a single impressive piece. It is the willingness to repeat careful movements with intention over time. Each piece is an opportunity to practice that care.

When clients trust her with their hair or wear her jewellery, she takes that seriously. The process of making is as meaningful to her as the finished object.

The Values She Holds To

Pepe is clear about what she will not compromise on. She will not rush her work to increase output. She will not chase trends that do not align with her creative direction. She will not remove herself from the making process to scale faster.

“I don’t believe growth is meaningful if it comes at the expense of the reasons I started creating in the first place.”

She makes the case for slowness not as a romantic ideal but as a practical position. Patience has value. Repair has value. Objects made by hand carry something that production at scale does not replicate. If that means ThreadsXDreads grows more slowly, she is comfortable with that trade-off.

Where ThreadsXDreads Is Headed

Pepe’s vision for ThreadsXDreads is to keep building, without limiting herself to a single medium or direction. She wants the brand to grow into something people can genuinely step into, a body of work that values craftsmanship and individuality over trend cycles.

“I hope my work encourages people to embrace what makes them different and to wear that difference with confidence.”

Beyond that, she hopes ThreadsXDreads demonstrates that there is still a place for work made slowly and with intention. And if it encourages other artists to trust their own direction rather than follow what is already popular, she considers that a worthwhile outcome.

Follow ThreadsxDreads on Instagram