Good Art Hlywd: Excess has never fit so well
Let me start by saying Josh Warner wasn’t at all what I expected.
I was contacted to meet the jewelry designer at his Barney’s New York trunk show March 15 at The Palazzo. I made sure to do the requisite research via his website and with taglines like “F-ing brilliant since 1990” and a client base described as individuals that are “all at the top in their fields” I really made up my mind I’d be dealing with a constant flow of narcissistic statements for the better part of 20 minutes.
At least his product doesn’t suck, I thought.
Horribly accustomed to the world of trends and “unique” items mass-produced to look exactly like everyone else’s trends and items, I can be a tough sell. But when the graphic e-mail regarding “Good Art Hlywd” arrived in my inbox, I realized, this guy may be on to something. And let me tell you, Josh is on to a lot of things. His long list of celebrity clientele includes Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher, Howard Stern and Morrisey.
Josh, on his jewelry:
“$50,000 or $60,000? That’s insane. That’s like, a car….a REALLY f-ing nice car.”
The absolute first thing I noticed about Josh Warner was his laid- back demeanor. The second thing was his plain brown, single- pocket T-shirt that demurely stated, “You have no idea …” and just left it at that. Which was interesting, because I really didn’t. The third thing was his jewelry, which was not easy to miss (namely the $120,000 gold bracelet) contrasted by the quiet ensemble that could have easily been assembled for a relaxing stroll on the beach.
Labeled as “fine men’s jewelry,” Josh’s handcrafted pieces often look like they may have been taken straight out of a castle in the 18th century. The items, ranging from bracelets to earrings and everything in between, all seem to allude a very particular, very sexy sort of message:
“You can think, ‘f- you,’ without having to have it written on your Tshirt.”
Fabulous.
For four to six lavish figures you can give the whole world a big, flashy, “F- you” emblazoned with gold and diamonds and other delightful fine gems. No freaking wonder I love this guy. But what I quickly learned was that Josh doesn’t sell jewelry. He sells a lifestyle. One I’ve already been living, only mine wasn’t cool enough to come with jewelry.
Josh on his beverage:
“I feel like a tart drinking this. Really, it’s f-ing horrible.”
For the interview, we made our way over to a coffee shop in the Palazzo. (Apparently they serve men beverages in parfait cups. Should probably be a law against that.)
Josh has a really interesting story. Within a few moments you see the creativity, the attention to detail, and the shifted focus (from what’s usually observed to what most people miss) that led to his talent in painting before he started making jewelry. And at some point in between he was simply making sandwiches for a living. So I asked what, really, anyone would probably be wondering:
“What made you decide to start making jewelry? I read on your bio you were making sandwiches for $300/week. What prompted you to start Good Art Hlywd?”
Check back later this week for the unorthodox interview. For information, to to www.GoodArtHlywd.com