It was during an Art History class at Hunter College that Georgia native Eddie Borgo first became interested in jewelry-making and adornment, "specifically, how people have used jewelry to identify and differentiate themselves throughout history," he explains.
The former president of his high school's DECA ("Distributive Education Clubs of America) club—for which he threw a series of over-the-top fashion shows in partnership with local retailers—fashion was always something that exerted a magnetic pull on Borgo. "I loved the idea that fashion was larger than what I could understand at the time," says Borgo. "It was a puzzle that I wanted to solve, and I came to New York to try and do that."
And solve it he did, with jewelry collections centered around a "high-end meets street" aesthetic rife with NYC music scene references like studs, spikes, zippers and padlocks. "My collection plays with the ideas we have of subculture and how those subcultures then trickle up into the luxury and fashion markets," he says. "I have looked to the history of rock n' roll in New York, as well as punk rock and glam rock."
The designer has come a long way since Hunter College, earning accolades from recent nomination for a CFDA Swarovski Award in Accessory Design to prize money from the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.
Most often, the Eddie Borgo look articulates itself in cool-kid staples like big glitzy cocktail rings and pyramid bracelets, while his latest collection seems to represent something of a maturation of the brand's aesthetic. Granted, there are still plenty of padlocks, but these latest are inlaid with slices of labradorite and lapis. "Fine jewelry is coming soon," teases Borgo, who surely knew we were doing everything we could not to drool.
