Change of Art Boca Raton (blog)
As a student in 1981, Jay Strongwater had dreams of becoming a clothing designer, but a simple necklace that he created as a gift for his mother caused him to change direction and consider the world of accessories. One year later, Strongwater was designing jewelry for Oscar de la Renta, who discovered his pieces in the window at Saks Fifth Avenue and handpicked the young designer to create accessories for his runway shows. A series of picture frames designed in the mid-90’s would cause Strongwater to yet again declare a new focus—this time, home goods. Today, Strongwater is known for his whimsical frames, vases, mirrors, jewelry boxes, chandeliers and other exquisite home accents, embellished with softly colored enamel flowers and sparkling crystals. We caught up with Strongwater at a recent visit to Saks Fifth Avenue in Boca Raton and got the scoop on what it’s like to work with Oscar de la Renta, what led him into home goods and what he’s up to next.
Tell me about the necklace that started it all.
I was a student at RISD in Providence, studying clothing design. It was between sophomore and junior year and I was shopping with my mom at Bonwit Teller in New York. She saw this necklace that she liked, and it was black beads with some gold designs on them. I ran to the craft store and [got] these large wooden beads. I sprayed them black and painted little gold designs on them. I strung them on black chord and my mom wore them around town. A local store asked if I would make some more. I made a few more styles and went to the buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York and she liked them and placed my first big order. I went back to school in September but I had gotten a few orders, and people would call asking when my next collection would be ready. I decided to drop out of school and go into making jewelry full-time.
