25-Year-Old Indie Pop Singer Børns Was the Cutest Guy at New York Fashion Week: Men’s
Garrett Borns, who goes by Børns on stage, is a longtime Gucci muse and CFDA ambassador at New York Fashion Week: Men’s fall 2017. Here, he shares his bohemian style notes.
Is that Harry Styles? A brunette Jack White? A male Florence Welch?
At the Ovadia & Sons fall 2017 show during New York Fashion Week: Men’s on Tuesday night, a handsome young man with long wavy hair sitting in the front row in a bright red Off-White trench coat caught the attention of rubber-necking editors in the room. It was none of the above, however. The subject in question was Garrett Borns, a 25-year-old indie pop singer better known simply as Børns.
You would never guess based on his bohemian style and Scandinavian cheekbones that Børns actually hails from Grand Haven, Michigan. But he’s now a bi-coastal creative, splitting his time between New York and Los Angeles. In 2014, he released his first single, “10,000 Emerald Pools,” which was followed by his debut studio album Dopamine, in 2015. He’s since performed at Coachella and the inaugural Meadows Music Festival in New York City. He’s also attracted the attention of Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, and can often be found in his gender-bending kimonos and silk tops, which he ties into crop tops on stage.
This season, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) invited Børns to be one of the official Men’s Week ambassadors, along with Fabolous, Colton Haynes, and NFL wide receiver Dale Moss. Needless to say, he stood out from the rest.
Below, Børns shares all the elements that make up his unique look.
In your own words, how would you describe your style? There’s a future element I’m always drawn to but with a little bit of nostalgia attached.
Personal style icons: David Bowie‘s Thin White Duke era and my adolescence in the ’90s.
How would you describe the scene at fashion week? It’s always an interesting crowd at fashion week. Everyone seems to have a different style sensibility, but some people are way out there.
Growing up, what was your relationship to fashion? In middle school, I was distressing clothes and printing on shirts with bleach.
What did you wear to this fashion week, specifically? Throughout the week I wore Robert Geller pink silk pants with a Hanro black turtleneck; Pringle of Scotland striped sweater and pants; an Ovadia & Sons salmon mandarin collar shirt; an Off-White red long coat with a scorpion embellishment; and an Issey Miyake shirt, overalls with a jacket, and Doc Martens.
Hari Nef, Petra Collins, Alessandro Michele, and Børns attend the 2016 LACMA Art + Film Gala.
Most prized possession in your closet: Leather and jean Gucci jackets with beautiful embroidery on the back of flowers, birds and lions.
The weirdest thing you own (and love to wear): I have a long silk Japanese robe that’s wonderful for sitting at the piano in the morning.
What do you prefer to wear on stage? How is it different, if at all, from what you wear in real life? I look at performance clothes as setting the mood for the whole show. I wore a lot of silk blouse shirts this past year, and tying them up into crop tops somehow became a thing.
Style pet peeve: I encourage most weirdness.
Børns performing on stage during the 2016 Meadows Music Festival in Queens, New York.
What’s your grooming routine, specifically with regards to your hair? I let nature do the work.
What were some of your favorite shows from New York Fashion Week: Men’s? I really enjoyed Jahnkoy’s show. It was something I’ve never seen before: tribal sporty looks and very imaginative performance art on a city street set. Also, Rochambeau was a wild show with these little dancing rave zombies mingled into awesome punk inspired looks.
What’s one piece that you saw that you would like to take right off the runway? Most of Robert Geller‘s collection.
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