- By
- Gaela Braun
- Art by
- Gustaf von Arbin
EDDIE BORGO HANDBAGS
Eddie Borgo’s impressive début handbag collection for Fall 2015 is the result of two years of product development and experimentation. “I felt that the processes utilized in the design and engineering of my jewelry had matured to the point where it made sense to start to challenge my team to determine what we could achieve outside of the jewelry category,” he says. It marks the brand’s first product category extension in over five years. Fans of his jewelry line will find similar elements in his new collection. Every handbag incorporates discreet Eddie Borgo signature elements, from the custom metal slats to the triangulated arc handles, feet, and zipper pulls. As with his jewelry, each metal piece serves a purpose. “It was important to me to ensure that each style created was a perfect fusion of hardware to leather,” he explains. “We were looking at the marriage of function and form.”
Inspired by the Industrial Revolution, the collection references the design of traditional pocketbook and attaché cases from the Fifties and Sixties. “I wanted to capture the time when industry, machine, technology, and production were best in tandem,” says Borgo. From satchels and crossbodies to doctors, clutches, and minaudières, the 21-piece line, available in four striking hues, features lush box calf leather powder-treated with a rubber coating and custom rigid aluminum hardware to ensure that the finished product remains lightweight. The color palette includes the soft shades Blush and Frost, a delicate grey with a touch of lavender, which were both inspired by make-up colors from the era, and darker colors Jet and Evergreen, inspired by automobile paint colors from the same time period. The geometric hardware is plated in blonde, chrome, or oil, and each bag features a digital moiré jacquard interior lining. Made entirely in Italy, the leatherwork and final construction of each bag is finished in a small, family-run atelier in Milan that has created luxury bags for over one hundred years. The attention to detail is extraordinary, and the result is a level of craftsmanship that you rarely see today, says Borgo.
In creating the collection, Borgo was especially interested in the idea of a modern working woman and the ability to provide her with all of the nuances that she requires in a handbag: quality, function, ease, durability, and access. “I approached the project from the perspective of a jeweler, focusing on form and shape, while my design director for the project, Sapna Shah, approached the project from the perspective of the artisanal leather craftsmen. It became a collaboration of minds and a marriage of materials,” he says. “I remember realizing what it was I wanted us to accomplish when studying the interior of a 1958 Dual-Ghia automobile—such perfect craftsmanship and construction. I was most impressed with the automobile’s seamless fusion of metal and leather.”
Borgo brought this design sensibility to his new creations, where absolutely every detail was considered, he says. Not only is each piece constructed with an expandable accordion gusset, a heritage leatherwork technique borrowed from pocketbooks of the Fifties, but there are also three ways in which each bag can be carried: by its aluminum top handle, a detachable leather shoulder strap, or a clever base strap that sits on the underside of the bag. In addition, the bags feature functional pockets and include a mirrored compact. “They are made for a day in the life of an elegant modern businesswoman,” says Borgo. “They can easily transition from a day at the office to an evening at the theater.”
Eddie Borgo handbags are now available at EddieBorgo.com.
- By
- Gaela Braun
- Art by
- Gustaf von Arbin
