Tom Binns has pioneered the junk-jewelry genre, making treasures out of trash and trashing treasures -- silver collars etched with the words "statement piece," triple strands of mismatched pearls the size of gum balls, asymmetrical crystal chokers with neon-paint graffiti, forks bent into cuff bracelets.
Before there were outsized, tangled chain necklaces at Target and jumbled pearls at J.Crew, Binns was giving new meaning to the term "statement jewelry" with a wink -- and sometimes a middle finger. The influential (and devilishly profane) designer is the father of the irreverent, more-is-more trend that has spawned a generation of like-minded labels, including Subversive, Bing Bang and Fallon, and made costume jewelry one of the few bright spots in retail.
A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Binns has been living and working in Venice Beach for the last four years. The walls of his airy studio are all white except for two paintings -- one reads "Vague, Vogue, Vomit," and the other pictures a Chanel logo next to the McDonald's golden arches and a swastika. Aggressive, yes. But what else would you expect from a guy who got his start in London during the punk rock era, thinks everyone is stealing his ideas (he may be right), and is struggling to be anti-establishment even as his glittery pieces regularly land in the pages of Vogue and on such fashion plates as First Lady Michelle Obama?
After Sept. 11, 2001, Binns checked out of the New York fashion scene (not that he was ever that checked into it). He doesn't own a car, begging rides to Whole Foods instead, and spends his free time cycling at the beach. With his thick black eyeglass frames, khaki pants and sun-tanned face, he'd fit right in with Venice's artsy set, but he prefers to keep to himself. He doesn't even go to Paris to sell his collection to buyers, leaving that to his staff instead.
"I don't want to go, I don't want to dress up, I don't want to have people . . . checking me out, saying, 'Why are you wearing those shoes -- they're not really happening.' " Binns' speech is peppered with four-letter words, but also with endearing Britishisms such as "luvvie" and "trolley." He may play the rebel, but he's really a teddy bear.
He's currently producing 30 collections, with pieces ranging from $180 to $25,000, so there's something for everyone -- classic hoop earrings, cuffs decorated with silver skulls, necklaces with swarms of sculptural gold butterflies or clusters of flower-shaped crystal brooches.
