• TOM BINNS
  • MANIFESTO
  • ICONOGRAPHY
  • IF PRESSED
  • DROP SHOP
  • ART WORKS
  • CONTACT
  • TOM BINNS
  • MANIFESTO
  • ICONOGRAPHY
  • IF PRESSED
  • DROP SHOP
  • ART WORKS
  • CONTACT
Influencing trends and attitudes since 1980...

​Tom Binns is a directional artist who over his 30+ year career in the fashion industry, has earned numerous prestigious awards including the Accessory Designer of the Year from the Council of Fashion Designers of America ("CFDA"), the British Fashion Council (BFC) Award for Best Accessories Designer and the Elle Style Awards for Best Jewelry Designer.
​
He has garnered a cult following for his unique designs, which combine elegance with an anti-conformist sentiment.
 
​His luxury attitude has adorned icons ranging from Michele Obama to Beyonce and Cate Blanchett to Lady Gaga just to name a few.    

​Dare to wear. 

 
 


​IN RETROSPECT

Picture
​
​2018
SHANGHAI LIL
Shanghai Lil seemed to fit with this kimono like crusted beer can.
​I gave her a pair of gold Céline shoes.
Tasty! 


rusty oil can, red acrylic paint
wall piece​
​
Picture

​2017
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS 
​
 It is just that, no rhyme or reason to what accompanies each linked charm.
​This story is what you interpret it to be. 



​found objects, wood, acrylic 
necklace​​
​​
Picture

​2016
WILD STYLE 
 The approach to my new work is IRRATIONAL.
(without thinking)
This was one of the first pieces in this new space. The only restriction being that it fit.


hair, rocks, crystal, iron
necklace
Picture

​
​2015

CAN CARCAS
A rusted oil can was found in the desert and blasted by some gun happy yoyo.
​It has a defined contour, spread out as a trophy like a skinned artifact.

​Red undead.


rusty oil can, red acrylic paint
wall piece​
​
​
Picture

2014

TYPE WHITER​
​This obsolete object has a complicated beauty having written  a few secrets.

​A machine frozen in time.



vintage typewriter, white acrylic paint 

sculpture​
Picture

2013

HARMONY
​​Harmony of two opposites.
​The song of contradictions.
The opposite attraction.



​
​

painted broken violin
sculpture​


Picture

2012

STOP WATCH 
The idea of wearing a very expensive watch annoys me, so I thought I would hammer a nail into like they did to Jesus.
Fuck that for a game of cricket.


​faux cartier watch, rusty nail
wrist band
Picture

2011

FROM THE DEEP
I was fascinated by the colors of the coral reef.
​There is a neon world down there that is unimaginable and I can only marvel at how brilliant nature is
.
​
hand painted vintage crystal
necklace​
 
Picture

2010

SPLASH BAG
This leather shoulder bag was inspired by bag pipes.
I thought I would just add a dash of anarchy in gold.


​black calf leather, gold acrylic paint 
​bag
Picture


​2009

FUTURE FANTASTIC
What if people from outer space landed in Africa with the Massai tribe and went back inspired to make their own jewelry?
This is what happened.

​metal discs, plated copper​
​body bust
Picture

2008

PUNK COUTURE
This is a mass brawl. 
​Taking the regal jewels and attacking  with a punk attitude using razor blades, safety pins, and chains.


​white crystal set in nickel, silver chain, safety pins, gold plated razor blades
body bib


Picture




​2007

BODY JEWEL
I put this together using old colored rhinestone broaches.
I was thinking Beyoncé would look statuesque in this jewel structure.
She has the deportment.


​





​vintage broken broaches assembled​
​body bust



Picture

2006

ANNA NECKLACE
I tried to imitate royal jewels using vintage crystals and colored broken glass to replicate
emeralds and rubies.
I lent it to Anna Wintour to
wear in Paris.
She told me everyone thought
​it was real.
Sometimes it's the frame that distinguishes the work.
It was real, real to me.


vintage pearls & crystal, broken glass
necklace
Picture

2005

AFTER MATISSE 
I love the way Matisse, although in a wheelchair, found a way to create with his cut outs and random placings'.    
I had a group of tumbled blue glass and I hung it from chains so the pattern constantly changes.







​deep blue glass, black chain
necklace




​



Picture

2004

ALL THE RAGE 
​
This is a big girl's blouse.

I wanted to try to construct a piece of clothing in the same way I was making jewelry,
​piecing contradictions to make a whole.






​mixed fabric, metal chain
blouse
Picture



​2003 

PEARLS IN PERIL
Pearls have the attitude of conservatism, which of course I reject.
So I treated them in a thuggish manner with a bit of grievous bodily harm.

vintage rhinestone, vintage costume pearls 
necklace

​

Picture

2002

RAJ NECKLACE 
The inspiration for this came from  royal India.
It was the men who wore all the jewels as a sign of wealth. This is my interpretation of a royal attitude.

colored crystals set in nickel 
necklace


Picture

2001

WHAT WAS ONCE, NOW IS
I started feeling really loose about putting different elements together in an abstract way,
​with no rules.  

​The construction of abandonment. 

broken jewels reassembled
bracelet


Picture



​2000

FLIES ON SHIT 
Today you only have to think of an idea and someone else is on it,
​pre-empting your thoughts.
Rather like flies on shit.



​oxidized silver on rhinestone
​necklace



Picture

1999

WATERFALL
Fine chains on mass have a particular way of acting.
These chains cascaded so I left them as is, and added a blue crystal hiding under the waterfall.



​​fine silver chain ,blue crystal set in nickel
​necklace
Picture





​1998

PRECIOUS MOMENTS
The inspiration came from imagining what a child would collect and tuck away in their pocket.
Much like a bowerbird collects to attract a companion.
​Finding beauty in odd objects
.


​crystal, cord, shell,plastic,stone,ceramic, metal 
​bracelet
Picture


​​1997

IT'S THAT EASY
This was a break through period for me. Jewelry became the medium I used to make jewelry with.
It was that easy,
​it became the new norm.
Everybody had the same revelation, after the fact. A constant coincidence.

mass of beads glass, plastic, faux pearls ,metal chain
necklace
Picture




​
​1996

CALAMITY CHAINS
Found a mass of chains that had their own elegance and chaos.
It formed itself, I just re-realized it.





​mixed metal chains, silver,  brass, copper, nickel, gold plated brass
​necklace


Picture

1995

TWIST OF FATE
Originally this was a body sculpture you would step into, but I prefer it as a hollow entity because the space is what is important.
I was inspired by Jose De Rivera.





​ tapered bronze metal 
sculpture 
Picture

1994

BROKEN DREAM
Edgy and daring having a smashed Pepsi bottle lashed together with safety pins.
It becomes the new diamond.
If on Mars we found diamond mountains, we would have to reevaluate their value.
​With nature dying, it would be come the new precious.


glass pepsi bottle, metal safety pins
necklace



Picture

1993

EMPATHY
On this canvas, I hung a swans feather, the most regal bird.
I splashed the red paint across it to emphasize how delicate life can be.






​4ft x 5ft stretched canvas, swans feather, acrylic paint, cord, rusty metal nail
painting





Picture

1992

ANGEL 
My sister Susan said to me, there is a certain amount of pride a woman gets from ironing her man's shirt.
I thought ironing was the most boring of jobs.
​She is an angel to think that way.





vintage iron, brass wings
scultpure





Picture

1991

TULIP
Finding nature and seeing the beauty and its possibilities.
​ I gave this shell a new identity, a new significance.




​shell, silver, copper
pin




Picture

1990

VEIL OF SHADOWS 
This was a piece I made for the Pirelli calendar that was not used.
It's purpose was to sit on the shoulders as a black coral veil covering the face.
​Nature's last laugh.

black coral, bronze metal
​face mask 


​
Picture

1989

BIRD
I noticed this piece of drift wood resembled a wee bird,
​so I gave it legs and prominence. 
Now it is mighty.




​silver drift wood, slate stone
cuff




​
Picture

1988

DANCER
I worked on a collection with
​Rifat Özbek in London.
It was ballet inspired, I love the dynamics of dance. I tried to capture motion with a simple twist of wire.
​A la Man Ray.


​gold wire, plastic plinth
​sculpture




Picture

1987

FAUX FASCIST
I did a series of Disney characters acting out of character, taking the innocence of universal cartoon and giving it a nasty streak.



​​plastic donald, metal paper, hair
small sculpture




Picture

1986

FACE
I like studying sculpture. 
​Gargallo was a Spanish sculptor I was inspired by who formed 3 dimensional pieces from flat metal.
 

​

​​bronzed metal
pin



Picture

1985

IN THE NAME OF CHRIST​ 
Religion has a violent side.
​Being from Belfast, I've seen how it turns faith against faith.





​​​wood, metal, enamel watch face
broach



Picture

1984

FOR FORK'S SAKE 
Always loved a fork, it is a violent object that goes into the mouth.
​ A dangerous server.




​metal forks, silver plated
​cuff



Picture


1983

CLOTHES PIN NECKLACE
I always liked the way an African person would look differently at an object and find another application for it, so I tried to look at a clothes peg in that way.

old wooden clothes pegs, copper wire 
​necklace
Picture

1982

FISH
At college, I rebelled of course, veering towards fashion instead of arts and crafts. I went for the dramatic, it was the early 80s and being ostentatious was in.

hair, bone, wood, leather, rusted metal
necklace



Picture

1981

REFLECTIVE
A Cubist face carving with a ripple of a profile reflected in the diminishing silhouette.



​silver, bone, plastic
pin



Picture



​1980
FOR SALOME
I was in college and Salome was the brief. 
The idea was about someone who had it all, but destroyed it with her own venom, in spite of herself.

​silver, bone
bracelet


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