New York Jewelry Brand Milamore Reflects Its Founder’s Filipino And Japanese Heritage

New York City-based George Inaki Root, CEO and Creative Director of Milamore, explains the impact of his origins on his fine jewelry creations.

Do your Filipino and Japanese roots and the fact that your jewels are designed in New York and made in Japan make your brand stand out?

Fashion or jewelry is a very crowded market. I always think and ask myself, “Who is George Inaki Root? How can I stand out in this industry? What can I do so people will choose Milamore over other established brands?” My answer is: always stay true to yourself, your heritage and life experiences, and that will always be reflected in my designs and Milamore’s storytelling. I want my clients to cherish Milamore for years and pass them on to the next generation. I want to create a brand that is unique with a strong identity because I believe niche is the new luxury. I also created a candle that is inspired by my dual culture. The vessel is inspired by kintsugi, which is the traditional Japanese restoration method, and the scent is Sampaguita, which is the national flower of the Philippines. It’s called Arabian jasmine in English. It represents my identity, although it’s very personal, I’m really glad that people are resonating with my stories and they love my creations. It’s very satisfying and makes me extremely happy.

What it was like being born in the Philippines and raised in Japan?

My grandma raised me in the Philippines because my mother had to work in Japan to support the entire family financially. Lots of cousins, lots of fiestas. I never knew the Philippines was so diverse with rich mixed cultures until I moved to Japan: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arab, American, English, Spanish, lots of mixed people. When I moved to Japan when I was nine, that’s when I finally lived with my mother for the first time. I couldn’t speak Japanese and I was bullied at school. I remember I used to cry and lie saying I had a headache so I could play video games at home. I studied Japanese by watching anime, movies and music. But now, I am fluent in Japanese and I am trilingual. I definitely had a unique childhood. But because of those experiences, it made me strong, confident and independent. I believe things happen for a reason. I like to take all those challenges and accomplish them. I love to manifest what I have in my mind. I designed my diamond braille band ring saying “Manifest” as a reminder to myself.

What kind of childhood did you have?

I grew up with my grandma and two step-brothers from my mom’s side in Manila. “Lola” means “grandma” in Tagalog and I am a big lola’s boy. I remember my lola couldn’t leave the house without me because I would cry missing her. I would sleep with my lola in the same bed, kiss her all the time and say I love her all the time. I remember she would cook me Filipino food and I loved it! I even tattooed her name on my chest because her soul lives with me forever. She is the toughest person with a big personality I know. That’s why I am attracted to people who have big personalities!

Was your family in the jewelry business?

Absolutely not. None of my family members had anything to do in the creative world. Actually, my family were surprised that I’m in the jewelry business now and doing creative stuff. My mom now works for a nursing home, but she used to clean hotels during the day and work at a bar at night when I was a teenager. Extremely hard working so she could raise her entire family in the Philippines. Spending my teenage years with her definitely influenced me to work hard and stay true to herself. My parents divorced when I was around 13, so I don’t really know what my dad did. I definitely didn’t grow up with a wealthy family with privilege. My background and experience is very different from other jewelers: I didn’t go to school for arts or design, and I didn’t have financial support. I had to build my own career and work with investors, but that’s OK! That made me confident and ambitious; it’s really fun to establish my very own brand from scratch. I’d like to take Milamore to the next level as an international luxury brand with Japanese-Filipino heritage. Wait and see. I’ll manifest it.