eBay Obsessed: Fashion Designer Aimee Cho of Gryphon

Gryphon, a line conceived by former Vogue fashion writer Aimee Cho to reinvent the trench coat, has achieved that and more in its seven seasons. Cho tackled the outerwear market by producing sleek, impeccably fitted jackets adorned with pyramid studs and elaborate sequins, and has since applied the same tough-but-pretty aesthetic to what lies beneath the trench, offering lavishly beaded tops and dresses that are somehow both practical for everyday yet glamorous enough for special occasions.

Recently, the Manhattan-based designer took time out to chat more about the inspiration behind her spring line, hitting stores now—and revealed that eBay is chief among her resources. “I go to the site a lot when I’m designing a collection,” she explains, “My spring collection was very loosely 20’s inspired. In the end it wasn’t so obvious in the look of the collection, but it’s where I started in my head, so I searched for items from the 20’s on eBay.” From there, Cho harvested everything from dainty vintage evening purses to what she calls her biggest score—fashion magazine illustrations from the 20’s that were scanned and sold as a set of discs—elements of which can be seen in the tassel embellishments and Art Nouveau-esque prints she incorporated in her current lineup.

Pressed for tips on navigating the eBay, Cho says, “I can’t stand waiting for the end of the auction. If I want something I want it then, so I usually look only at "Buy It Now" items. “ In the event a product isn’t listed with a "Buy It Now" price, Cho is patient but undeterred: “If something has zero bids at the end of the auction, I email the seller and ask if I can be given a "Buy It Now price" or whether the item will be relisted.” Communication is key, and Cho recommends contacting vendors whose wares you admire to see if they have similar items that aren’t yet up for grabs. “Sellers have their own strategies for staggering auctions, so I’ll ask them if they have anything else they’re posting soon, to see if I can get first dibs.”

Here, Cho shares the goods she’s eyeing on eBay right now:

Roll over items for details

Vintage 60’s Band Coat

“Every fall season, we do a recycled fur program where we take vintage fur collars and add them to coats and jackets to give them new life and a home. Rather than using newly killed animals, we prefer to use re-purposed trim pieces. I buy almost all of the fur collars we’ve used on eBay.&rdquo

(buy it now price, $34.95)

Marching Band Bolero Jacket

(buy it now price, $34.95)

“Every fall season, we do a recycled fur program where we take vintage fur collars and add them to coats and jackets to give them new life and a home. Rather than using newly killed animals, we prefer to use re-purposed trim pieces. I buy almost all of the fur collars we’ve used on eBay.”

Lot of 8 Vintage Fur Pieces

(buy it now price, $14.95)

The term "gryphon" can refer to "griffin," a mythological creature with a body of a lion and the head, talons and wings of an eagle. As for why Cho chose Gryphon as her company's name, she says "there were a few contributing factors that seemed to lead me to the name: I had been in Paris with my husband right before I started the company, and we had seen a few gargoyles and statues of gryphons and I think that imagery was floating around in my head. And then, when I was brainstorming the name, I wanted something that would evoke a sense of protection, but fierce protection as opposed to a cuddly sense of safety. So I looked at a lot of mythology and gryphon/griffin/griffon kept popping up. Then I remembered a Maurice Sendak illustrated children’s book I used to have called The Griffin and the Minor Canon, and it all just seemed to be pointing me towards the name gryphon."

Gothic Griffin Brass Door Plates

Griffin Pendant With Gold Chain

(buy it now price, $20.50)

Griffin Pendant With Gold Chain

(buy it now price, $18.99)

Medieval Gryphon Pendant

Four Griffin Female Figures

(buy it now price, $14.99)

The gryphon has now become a bit of a mascot for her company: “I always search for gryphon/griffin/griffon for little decorative items for the office.”

Four Griffin Female Figures

(but it now price, $1495)

Antique Diamond Griffin Pendant Watch

Emily Hsieh is a freelance writer and editor in New York City who has contributed to publications including Lucky, Allure, InStyle, and People.

(buy it now price, $1000)