10 Questions with Jewelry Designer Tom Binns

By Cavan Sieczkowski | December 14, 2011 11:19 AM EST

  c.sieczkowski@ibtimes.com
 http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/267127/20111214/10-questions-jewelry-designer-tom-binns.htm



Nothing draws stares faster than a piece of Tom Binns' jewelry. And this case is certianly not one of those "If you've seen one, you've seen them all." Binns' designs are insanely unique, and a bit insane too. He is by far one of the most eclectic designers, honing his craft in a field typically populated by feminine delicacy.

Binns' jewelry is nothing short of amazing and will add a gritty edge to even the primmest of ladies. From neon stones to barbed wire metal, from safety pins to skulls, his jewlery has all you need for that rebel-without-a-cause vibe. 
His Spring 2012 collection is complete with many stories, says Binns. "My favorite story was 'Cameo Samba'. What I try to do, generally, is to make old things new by taking a traditional form of jewelry and reinvent it, to make it modern. There is familiarity and daring to it." 
And daring it is. Binns' jewelry is certainly not for the faint of heart. 
"There is familiarity and daring to it. Most of the new collections are based on those themes, like with the Cameo Samba where I took the idea of the cameo and made it nuclear."

Despite his immense success, the brazen Binns said that he has no interest in the fashion world. "I am not really interested in designers, it's unfortunate that I have to function in the fashion world but it is the only acceptable medium for what I do, which is making jewelry. It is not seen as an art, it's a minor art that has to function in a dull and murky world," he said.
The cheeky designer dished to IBTimes about his newest collection, his design partner and his "favorite piece."



You were born in Belfast, North Ireland, and you went to school in London. Are you a UK punk rocker at heart? 
No, I am a man of the world now. I guess the abrasiveness of being Irish and working class, the push to become successful is harder so you're always up against something or other. Punk rock in not really the fuel for my creative obstruction it was more about the great artists who questioned what went before and tried to challenge. In the struggle to challenge you really are at war with convention and I love punk rock and the punk rockers because it was a great movement. My dear friend, Malcolm McLaren, instigated a lot of it and he was a great influence in my life.
Your vision is unlike any other. We have to ask - where do you find the inspiration?
Somewhere behind my blue eyes my inspiration comes. It comes from many difference sources; art, politics, nature, economics, cinema, poetry. The one thing is doesn't come from is fashion, the dead art. Inspiration is your philosophy. It is a combination of everything you take in and its an interpretation of that, it is constantly moving and constantly changing.
All of your jewelries are unique yet there is a thread that unifies them all. Do your designs shift based on mood or season?
It has been said that I am a difficult man, but I think I'm quite pleasant, so how wrong can you be? The thing is...one of my girl friends said this, "I love you because its like waking up with a different man every morning." Things constantly change and it transforms into your work. I would hate to be constant, like one of those French guys that never change their haircut. I'm not that kind of bloke. Its a challenge to compete in one's self, it keeps me in a state of constant flux so nothing is safe.
When designing, do you imagine what outfit a woman might wear with your jewelry?
Hopefully nothing at all. Clothes are the new accessories. I have to thank the designers for the lovely frocks that go with my jewelry.
You recently created printed tees for Matches. Do you have any plans to eventually create a full fashion line?
I wold love to do all kinds of things, but I am a bit stretched fighting off the wolves. What we have created here, dare I call it a 'brand' but the look we have created here would be easy to interpret into all kinds of product. We are a small independent company and it is difficult to dabble in to all these different arenas but the ideas are strong enough... how difficult can it be?!
As a high-end designer, would you ever consider developing a capsule collection, a la Versace for H&M?
I am not against it but we have not yet had the opportunity. There are many interpretations of my ideas out there by who knows who. I would like the opportunity to exploit the ideas that I have been working on for the past 30 years.
Tom Binns' fans run the gamut from Lady Gaga to Michelle Obama. Can you describe an archetypal Tom Binns woman?
She is a woman who exudes independence and can step up to the plate to take it on and not care what people think. Someone who knows how to radiate as beauty radiates, it is not obvious. It is much deeper than that and if I can lend my work to the sparkle of a woman's presence that I find very rewarding.
Your partner, Cristina Viera Newton, was a former model and fashion executive. Is your relationship more yin and yang or Bonnie and Clyde?
No, its more itchy and scratchy. She encourages me and eases the pressure of the constant irritation of life which allows me to function creatively.
If you had to choose, what song would you pick as the title track to represent the Spring 2012 collection?
It would be a song from The Cure called, 'In Between Days'
Do you have a favorite piece? 
Well, there was this Italian girl in a movie that I've seen recently, she is my favorite piece.

 (Photos: Tom Binns Designs)
The cheeky and unabashedly bold jewelry designer, Tom Binns, dished to IBTimes about his newest collection, his design partner and his "favorite piece."





 c.sieczkowski@ibtimes.com
 http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/267127/20111214/10-questions-jewelry-designer-tom-binns.htm