School Ties

Neon plastic lanyard evokes a summer camp nostalgia when counselors schooled us in the art of kitsch key-chains and friendship bracelets. But in the hands of Philip O'Sullivan, the designer of an innovative new jewelry line, these notions of yesteryear are all but a memory.

Made from hiking rope, which is crafted into beautifully intricate knots and finished with gunmetal hardware, each piece is handmade by O'Sullivan in his Williamsburg studio. "I love how the rope looks when it's all jumbled and piled on my floor, which it is right now," he says. "It's such a treat for my eyes." Necklaces, bracelets, and key-chains come in either bright hues of neon or in solid black; the former befitting night club ravers and hip-hoppers and the latter for those craving a more subdued brand of accessorizing. Either way, the pieces are refreshingly unique and unapologetically bold. "I love synthetic materials and am very excited by the resurgence of tech/athletic looks in high fashion," says the designer. "I grew so tired of everything having to look old and worn. I'm ready for the future." So are we.

That old friendship bracelet is reborn in a new knotted necklace.