Now, he’s returning to the fold better equipped than he was some 16 years ago. “I come to the table with a new stack of experiences under my belt — some good, some bad, lots of mistakes and learning curves along the way,” he says. “But I’m able to really understand what it is that we’re doing; why we’re doing it; and what our strategies are, how our budgets look and how they colour our decisions.”
A slower approach
Borgo may not be living in LA anymore, but his time in the city informed his approach to Eddie Borgo 2.0. First and foremost, LA offered the designer the chance to slow down. Having moonlighted for other businesses, he had the working capital to funnel into fine jewellery, and took the time to do so. “It was really important to me that that process did not feel rushed and that I had moments of contemplation in between high moments of creative output,” he says. “I wanted to push myself to work in a different way than I do with the fashion jewellery, or what I call the costume jewellery. LA really allowed me that — I’ll forever be indebted to the city in that way.”
While during the brand’s early days, Borgo went full steam ahead, he now understands that he holds the reins, and doesn’t need to cede to the wishes and whims of external players like retailers. When it comes to design, the renewed Eddie Borgo will be more flexible in its offering. The fashion collections are malleable: “We can do something one season and then we can try out something new, another season.” (This room for play will be propped up by the core collection, which will remain consistent season after season.)
This driver’s seat mentality is even more significant for the brand’s wholesale approach. “When I was younger, I allowed the retailers at some points to dictate the way we moved forward. That simply is not going to happen this time,” Borgo says.
He’ll also be more selective about the retailers he partners with. As a younger founder, Borgo jumped at every opportunity that approached him. “I would rather take the time with a new retail partner — get to know them, understand who their customer is, make sure our brand is the right brand to incorporate into their matrix before we just create an order of jewellery and ship it to them,” he says.
Photo: Courtesy of eddieBorgo studio
Photo: Courtesy of eddieBorgo studio
The priority? Making sure the retailer’s target audience is its actual customer. “I think that who you would like your customer to be sometimes can be very different from who your customer actually is,” Borgo says, adding that he wishes those he’s worked previously would have better established who their consumer is. He attributes the current retail upheaval — in part — to this disconnect.
