Do you have the furious impression that more and more men are wearing bracelets, rings and pendants? Especially on the side of personalities such as Jay-Z, John Mayer or Hiroshi Fujiwara, the godfather of the trendy Harajuku district of Tokyo? You don't have the bug.
The trend, which started a few years ago with the appearance of men's fashion weeks, is firmly anchored in the 4 corners of the globe (even if the events dedicated to menswear less successful than women's shows).Some industry heavyweights claim that Instagram has played a big role in the appeal of men's jewelry.
According to Cynthia Sakai, a Japanese jewelry designer who works for Vita Fede in New York, " the man of today doesn't read fashion magazines, he surfs Instagram". Next spring, she will release a collection of jewelry for men. “Guys like fashion posts on Instagram, they take selfies and like to show their buddies what they're wearing. Instagram and Snapchat have changed the rules.»
Such an impact of social networks is not surprising, considering that an American study has shown that it is young people who boost sales of jewelry for men. They are responsible for 50% of the growth of this sector.
Global fine jewelry sales for men reached $5.3 billion in 2017. This figure has increased by 22% since 2012. We are still a long way from the turnover of 32 billion made by the women's jewelery market, but the growth of the men's jewelery sector is clearly on the rise.
Men's jewelry: trends
At the moment, the men's ring is particularly popular. It represents 1/3 of the men's jewelry market in the United States, 2/3 of the sector's growth. The men's necklaces are second in this ranking of popularity.
Men's rings are so popular that jewellers are adapting their designs. Apart from the alliance, men are not used to wearing rings. This is why we see more and more models adopting the "comfort fit", or rounded corners, in order to improve comfort in everyday life.
The necklace for men, essential to follow the trend
If you like to be on top of the trends, you absolutely have to wear men's necklaces. As for designers, jewelry is taking an increasingly important place, from Gucci to Chanel.
And while men's jewelry is developing independently, the boundary between women's and men's jewelry is increasingly blurred. To illustrate this point, Jaden Smith recently wore a Titan bracelet from the Vita Fede women's jewelry collection. Influential British jeweler Stephen Webster, who launched his Rayman menswear collection nearly 20 years ago, released a unisex collection last year. Who knows, maybe one day all jewelry will become unisex.
A jewel for every outfit
According to Karen Giberson, president of the New York-based Accessories Council, men are beginning to think of their jewelry as women, meaning accessories that are worn according to outfit and style. 'occasion.
George Cramer falls into this category. This former artistic director of Polygram records now lives most of his time on the Côte d'Azur. "During a normal day, I wear my watch and one of my bracelets," he said. “But on the occasion of a business or social lunch or dinner, I really take the time to choose something that matches the occasion. » He has at his disposal a large collection of Cartier watches, bracelets and rings.
Men around the world are increasingly seeing men's jewelry as an integral component of an outfit, according to Amedeo Scognamiglio.
"The growth of the men's jewelery market is so fast", according to him, that Harrods in London and Barneys in New York have just opened special windows to display his collections
“Man should be in a masculine environment, in terms of lighting, mood,” said the Italian designer. "Men's jewelry must express itself in the language of masculinity".
A men's bracelet that means something
Men are looking for something with meaning. " They want their jewelry to be unique, to help define them, " Ms. Giberson said.
"Everyone, men included, started creating their own custom look by layering the bracelets in unique combinations, " she said. For both women and men, jewelry has become a form of expression, of self-affirmation. This promise could only appeal to young people and adolescents.
Especially since technology makes customization possible, while some companies allow their customers to create their own men's bracelet online.
Source: New York Times