B.GOLD NYC: Eat the Rich Already
Who says the rich have to have it all? Cut and sew meets the streets with NYC-built brand, B.Gold.
Words: Star Kennedy
Images: Courtesy of B.Gold NYC
Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.” But if you take into consideration B.Gold, the latest streetwear brand to hit the streets of New York City, attitude means everything. Everything.
Bearing the slogan “Eat the Rich” as their epic call to action, the traveling, cult-like, merry gang of creative 20-somethings including filmmakers, models and designers, can be found touting their wears as they regularly parade through infamous Lower East Side local haunts like Epstein’s or the more trendier locales of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The leader of the pack is Brooklyn native, Winston Bartholomew Holder III, founder and chief designer, whom like Tom Ford and Rem Koolhaas began his life’s work as an architect—Holder, specifically, at a major firm in Soho—before eventually falling victim to the stimulating draw of fashion.
Now, armed with the faces of some of the world’s top brands—for menswear: Danny Beauchamp (Calvin Klein), Jake Davies (Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld), Sam Webb (Dolce and Gabbana and Diesel’s “Only the Brave Tattoo” fragrance), Miles Langford (Dior Homme, Alexander McQueen and Stone Island); and for womenswear: Milly Simmonds (Burberry), Sophie Holmes (TruTrussardi and Ice by Iceberg) and Erin Fee (Levi’s)—it appears that B.Gold is prepping for strategic domination. Not 100% streetwear, nor is it 100% high-end, the line teeters between the two, coupling the gritty freshness of youth with a “greater than” tailored vision of what fashion could be.
Founded in 2010, Holder et al have been designing, developing and marketing high-quality jewels and made-to-order gear that infuses bold architectural strokes (they really do use laser cut glass on their clothes), all of which are hand-cut and produced in the city either in their Financial District loft or their Midtown showroom. Now icon, Alicia Keys was B.Gold’s first celebrity client, donning a hand-dyed, cashmere cowl-neck hoody, one of their signature sweaters, in her “Teenage Love Affair” music video. Sean Stone, Spike Lee, Mia J, Ruth-Anne Cunningham, Jay-Z, Jay Lyon, Major Laser/Diplo have since joined the bandwagon, and it seems the love for B.Gold is spreading.
Armed with the knowledge and skills from both worlds, Holder has literally carved his own lane using an aesthetic born from his on-the-fly apprenticeship under his mentor, Jacques Mugnier, who also happens to be the head pattern-maker and draper for Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and now, Calvin Klein. Today his line B.Gold NYC offers a series of collections for both men and women (and some unisex) including the B.Gold Brilliantly Bespoke Collection (upcycled pieces worn by celebrities to be auctioned for charity), B.Gold Nostalgic Life Collection (old world standards blended with tectonic cuts), the B.Gold Signature Collection (cut and sew, blends and conversions) and the B.Gold Unisex Collection, which offers a little of everything. Welcome to Spring 2013.
For more on B.Gold NYC, visit them on their site here.
