Yoté was founded by Leah Prada as a way to reclaim her story, her identity, and her connection to home. Rooted in culture, history, and symbolism, each piece reflects the layered narratives we carry and the beauty within that complexity. Yoté honors who you are, where you come from, and the stories you choose to carry forward.
Our Founder
Leah Prada is a lifelong artist who works with jewelry as a language for identity, history, and belonging. Raised within the layered cultural landscape of the Southwest, her work is shaped by its folklore and complex histories. As a citizen of the Genízaro Nation, she approaches adornment as an act of reclamation, redefining the colonial-era term Coyoté, once used to mark mixed heritage, into a self-authored expression of strength and nuance.
Through this lens, Yoté becomes Tangible Folklore, with each piece layered with deep history, symbology, and storytelling. These philosophies shape every design and invite the wearer to honor their own complex identity, inherited stories, and lived experience, transforming personal narrative into something visible, wearable, and shared.
Leah creates each piece with intention, drawing on symbolism and personal narrative rather than trend. What began as a personal practice has evolved into Yoté, an artisan jewelry brand rooted in meaning, integrity, and place. Her work honors complexity and invites others to carry their own stories forward through tangible, wearable form.
The Work
Yoté jewelry is a language of intention and presence. Each design functions as an amulet layered with symbolism, folklore, and history, carrying meaning beyond ornament. Each motif is drawn from stories that transcend time and culture, connecting the individual to their own folklore and to the collective narratives of human experience. The forms embody archetypes, memory, and transformation, inviting reflection and connection. More than jewelry, each piece is a talisman, a vessel of storytelling, and a reflection of the patterns, myths, and traditions that shape the collective.