Maiyet Embraces the Human Touch NEW YORK - "Why do the French and Italians get to have a monopoly of luxury? They are amazing and they've blazed the trail, but there is a new generation of artisans who is just as good and could step up alongside them," says Paul van Zyl, the co-founder of Maiyet, whose rare and exceptional offerings are created by artisans around the world. There might be a horn bird necklace, part of which was carved in Kenya and part in Vietnam; handmade buttons from Colombia; a jumpsuit patterned with frogs from India; or a silk batik halter dress from Indonesia. Even Italy gets a place in the label's summer 2013 collection, its craftspeople creating wedge shoes or a clutch bag. The result, when the Maiyet brand showed during Paris Fashion Week in October, was a streamlined and sophisticated collection a giant leap away from the ethnic trail. Mr. van Zyl, a former human rights lawyer from South Africa, spells out the goal of the company he established a little over a year ago with Kirsty Caylor, co-founder and now president of Maiyet. He says the aim of the duo, who are based in New York, is "to create a fashion brand and pioneer new luxury by celebrating rare skills from unexpected places." Behind the collection of clothes and accessories in the New York hub is a team dedicated to tapping, for example, the historic knitwear culture of Machu Picchu in Peru. The project requires "a very attuned sense of local culture, local ability and local skills," Mr. van Zyl says. But, he explains, "we don't source products; we source skills which we then leverage into products." And however astounding, inspiring and beautiful the craftsmanship, he adds, Maiyet is not only about celebrating the skills of the artisans and offering them a sales platform. The larger idea is that by helping the local economy, it should be possible to introduce stability and thus lessen ethnic conflict and human rights abuses. In practical terms, Maiyet's projects also strive to provide tangible help by establishing a modern work area with climate control and the ability to withstand severe weather like many countries experience during monsoon seasons. "We're helping them, not patronizing them," Mr. van Zyl said of the workers, noting that "people buy because the product is gorgeous, compelling and beautiful. It represents a new and interesting aesthetic and we are pioneering a new way of doing luxury. For Ms. Caylor, emotion has been a factor since she first explored the artisan concept at a project in Guatemala. "It was a hands-on experience that stayed with me," she says. I believe in the spirit behind it, the nuance. I equate it to when I see drawing or painting perfectly rendered and there is something different produced by hand than if done digitally. Ms. Caylor has found that the emotional can turn into the practical. "There is a wonderful anecdote about workers in Varanasi in India - a place that is a religious mecca of Buddhist belief, with Hindu people going there to trade," she says, explaining how Maiyet obtained "new patterns, colors and textures" and helped some of the 95,000 local weavers get back into work. "We first sourced 50 meters from them and now in the fourth season, it is close to 1,000," or nearly 3,300 feet of cloth, adds Mr. Van Zyl. They are making beautiful stuff. These modern clothes and accessories with a human touch are such a success that Maiyet will open its own store on Crosby Street in downtown New York City in March. "We are finding an interesting set of people who want something new at Barneys, at Net-A-Porter and at London's Selfridges," says Ms. Caylor, whose background was in brand management, working at the U.S. companies Gap and Band of Outsiders. The brand has a broad price range, with clothing that ranges from $450 to $2,150; shoes and handbags from $595 to $4,800; and jewelry from $400 to $49,000. At Barneys New York, where customers have battled to grab the last hand-made Maiyet necklace from a mannequin, there is a thoughtful clientele that appreciates and understands this kind of luxury, says Daniella Vitale, the store's chief operating officer and lead merchandising executive. "People respond first and foremost to a beautiful product, and it comes with a civic aspect and a strong message of social responsibility," says Ms. Vitale, who has arranged store seminars so clients can understand how the Maiyet team works with individual producers, establishing training to help ensure efficient and sustainable production. "Paul is so articulate and they are so passionate about their brand and what they do - you feel like you are a part of it," says Ms. Vitale, who has also seen the duo explaining to the sales staff the products and their appeal. Maiyet, named for the Egyptian goddess of truth and harmony, was built with the support of Daniel Lubetzky, a social entrepreneur with a mission to make social and sustainable initiatives into efficient businesses. Mr. van Zyl says that the company is on target and that it is "meeting all of our financial predictions," helped by "a wonderful sell-through at Barneys." Ms. Caylor says simply that she spends a lot of time on airplanes but "all in coach because we are a start-up." On those many travels, Ms. Caylor gets to the heart of the project. I am blown away by craftsmanship and artisanship. It is astounding, inspiring and beautiful," she says. Maiyet is a celebration of what these people are capable of doing.