A genuine American luxury brand, Good Art HLYWD was founded by Josh Warner, in 1990; and like most great innovations, was created out of necessity – in Warner’s case, the need to have a pair of earrings that he coveted, but could not afford.  And as with all great Made in America stories, this one has a great twist; because, within a matter of months, the shop where Josh had seen those earrings, had become one of Good Art HLYWD’s biggest retailers!

“Our core values are very American, right down to our roots,” explains Warner, at Wynn Las Vegas, where we (Warner, his wife, Rachel Cleverley, and I) were stuffing our faces with pepperoni pizza, at Allegro.  “We trace those values back to various eras in Americana; and are equally inspired by the Cowboy era, as we are the Art Deco era.”

“My life inspires me.  More specifically, a few things inspire me, a whole lot.”

Like what, for instance?

“Well, cars, motorcycles, mechanics, for starters.  Look at the Herman Miller chair, or the Singer sewing-machine.  Except for improved technologies, their actual designs have stayed the same, from one decade to the next.  To me, those are great examples of American design; and speaks to their designs’ longevity and frugality.”

So, how does he know when one of his designs is worth casting – whether in 22K gold, 18K white gold, or sterling silver?  He likens it to looking down an alley of trees, and when all the trees are perfectly aligned, you can only see the first tree, as they’ve all “snapped into place.”  That’s when.

“If my name is on it, it’s been built with integrity.  I’ll go to whatever lengths I need to, in order to make something great,” Warner tells me, before continuing “The effect will always surpass expectations.  It has to!”

I asked Josh and Rachel about some of Good Art’s most outlandish creations, and their answers did not disappoint.  To wit, they told me about a customized Afro-pick, miscellaneous objets d’art (a large sterling silver skull weighing two pounds, for instance), hairclips, customized dials for a Fender guitar, botton covers for a Leica camera, and a spring-loaded KeyBak (the kind used by janitors).

Perhaps the insight I found most interesting was Warner’s perspective on the path taken by each piece, “A piece is only mine, until it’s not.  Then it belongs to the recipient.  As a creator, I have to trust that the final owner will love the piece.  I’ve gotta be somewhat selfless, otherwise I’d never let go of anything.”

Ask Warner about his process, you’ll invariably hear the same three words he gave me, when I asked him this very question, when we first met, in the early aughts – “Living my life.”  With the advantage of another fifteen years of wisdom, however; he now expounds, thusly, “Traveling,” “Spending time with good people,” and finding himself cast in the role of “Advice giver.”

It’s no surprise to find “Travel” in the Good Art-mix, seeing as more than half of all Good Art HLYWD creations find their eventual homes, in Asia; necessitating a significant amount of time in both China and Japan.  And, after all, travel is what has brought Warner and Cleverley to Las Vegas; as they are preparing for a special Good Art HLYWD takeover of Saks Fifth Avenue at Fashion Show – from Thursday, August 24th through Sunday, August 27th – to coincide with the hyped bout between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, that weekend.  And if capitalizing on a much-ballyhooed boxing match (that’s been dubbed “The Money Fight”) isn’t a perfect example of good old-fashioned American ingenuity, I don’t know what is!

Good Art HLYWD
Saks Fifth Avenue | Fashion Show
Thursday, August 24th – Sunday, August 27th
Click HERE for info

Get into it!
#GoodArtHLYWD

[Editor’s Note: For full descriptions and pricing of all items shown in the slideshow; come back for Part 2!]