(NEW YORK) Miami, get ready to aggressively accessorize! Eddie Borgo is bringing a sparkly capsule collection with him to Art Basel this week. The collection is smothered in smoked pavé crystals that cover a cuff, a five-fingered ring and a pair of spike earrings. The baubles will debut at a chic bash today at Laure Heriard Dubreuil‘s The Webster, but we phoned up Borgo to get the deets before his gem-laden party.
BY DENA SILVER
How did this partnership come to fruition?
It turned out that Laure [Heriard Dubreuil] and I have a lot of mutual friends in common. After I started selling the collection to her and it picked up, I started to see Laure around wearing our jewelry. We talked about doing it last year, but it didn’t come together. At a certain point this year, a conversation started going around about doing an exclusive for The Webster and we started playing around with it.
So give us the dish on the capsule collection!
There are only about four or five pieces, but they all use special techniques, using new engineering systems. [Heriard Dubreuil] and I worked together one afternoon and came up with this idea of covering the pieces in this smoky topaz crystal. It was very organic and was solely based on things that she wore and loves!
What pieces in your mainstay collection does the Miami clientele gravitate towards?
The ones that are decadent and impactful, in terms of being covered with lots of crystals and being very glittery. There are certain things with the materials; instead of using leather, we use canvas. Instead of using heavy metals all the time we will combine it with a lighter material like a wood or Plexiglas.
What do you dig about Miami?
I love that Miami has become such a global marketplace. You have your Americans in Miami, but now you also have this sort of global community that travels to Miami at least a couple of times a year.
Any plans for a blow-out launch party?
We’ve created an environment in the front of the store to show our jewelry in and it is going to be there during the entire week of Art Basel. We’re also bringing a large selection of my archives to present alongside the capsule collection, so there will be a lot of really special pieces, also for sale.
What’s the most important part of Art Basel for you?
I think that number one is taking time to be by the ocean and the water!
And what about the art?
Walking around and taking in all the art and listening to music is important. I also love to walk the antique fair. I could fill a shipping container full of furniture every time I go!
Have you ever boarded the plane with a new furniture acquisition?
I’ve definitely brought a lamp home with me!
What was your first trip to Miami like?
My uncle used to live in Miami Beach in the early Nineties and we used to go visit him. Back then there were no skyscrapers on the beach, Lincoln Road and Espanola Way were just markets with street vendor carts and there was very little fashion commerce in South Beach, aside from Bal Harbour in North Miami. The city has changed so much!
Is there anything still standing from those glory days in the Nineties?
Joe’s Stone Crab! We also used to go to a park in Northern Miami where the salt water combines with the natural water. We used to go kayaking and canoeing in the mangrove. It’s so beautiful there.
Will you be taking a vacation post Art Basel?
I’m going straight to Dallas from Miami!
