What to Watch: Jewelry Is the Latest Booming Category in Menswear
One of the many fashion trends spawned during the pandemic is the growing interest in men’s jewelry, thanks in large part to influencers, celebrities and the blurring of gender lines.
While men’s jewelry has been an established category for some time it’s still looked at as a relatively untapped market, according to retailers, which are expanding their assortments to offer the individuality and self-expression customers are seeking.
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“What we’ve seen is men are becoming a lot more adventurous,” said Maxim De Turckheim, senior buyer for fine jewelry and watches at Mr Porter and Net-a-porter. “Especially as the slight blurring of the lines between gendered products, that’s been really great for the jewelry category because I think in the past men have always seen the jewelry space as an unwelcoming and feminine space. That’s why I think they’re embracing Mr Porter because they would never have thought you could go to a store and find something for a man. It’s just showing [jewelry] to them in a different way, but I think there’s always been this willingness to explore.”
In the last year, interest in men’s jewelry has grown quickly. According to data by Lyst, searches have increased 43 percent year-over-year, with the biggest increase seen in rings, with searches rising 60 percent. Data from ShopStyle also showed increasing interest in the category, with searches for men’s jewelry up by 28.6 percent. The shopping platform saw the most interest in men’s earrings, which saw an increase of 59 percent in searches, followed by men’s bracelets (up 54 percent) and men’s rings (up 51 percent). This increase in interest is expected to continue into 2023.
“It’s still quite an untapped market,” said Luke Raymond, senior menswear editor at Farfetch. “It begins at the top, like Drake just bought that 42 engagement ring necklace. There’s obviously that customer but then we’ve all really gotten into TikTok recently and every guy doing a ‘get ready with me’ does the, like, ‘check out my rings.’ I think as it trickles down, more and more men are going to feel comfortable buying jewelry. It’s only going to increase interest in the category.”
The rise of men’s fashion influencers on TikTok is one of the contributing factors to the increase in interest in men’s jewelry, as many content creators have shared guides on how to style different pieces.
“Due to social media, there’s an environment that’s been created for people to really embrace their true selves and not be afraid to show or to express who that true self is,” said Rachel Akmakijian, director of jeweler relations at BriteCo, a jewelry insurance company. “One of the ways people express themselves is, of course there’s clothes and how you do your hair, but one of the ways people express themselves is how they’re accessorizing and jewelry is a part of that.”
Male celebrities and their red carpet style have also been a major influence on the rise in men’s jewelry trends, particularly the likes of Harry Styles and Timothée Chalamet, who regularly pair their looks with statement jewelry. Musicians like Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker are other leaders in the trend with their punk-rock style, with both launching respective jewelry collaborations in 2022.
At Mr Porter, De Turckheim explained bracelets are the leading purchase in the men’s jewelry category, with many customers gravitating toward chain-link options, beaded styles or multiple bracelets to create a stack. He stated the item is an easy entry point into men’s jewelry for many customers.
In the last year, Mr Porter has expanded its men’s jewelry offerings with several new collections that highlight colorful and modern pieces from brands like Foundrae, Annoushka, Jacquie Aiche, Piaget and others.
“We’re trying to really build a destination for men,” De Turckheim said. “Seeing what our product offering is and making sure that we are a global destination, we have something for everyone and we’re not going down the two same routes. Some of the new brands we’re bringing on are definitely going to be plugging gaps in that market, whether it’s bringing on a brand from a different geographical location or a brand that does something very different.”
Raymond stated Farfetch sees the most interest in necklaces in its men’s jewelry category because of the breadth of the retailer’s offerings. He’s also seen sustained interest in logo-bearing pieces, as well as interest in brands that have expanded their offerings into the menswear space, such as Spinelli Kilcollin and Lauren Rubinski.
“So you can have your Drake-style tennis diamond necklace do quite well — we have a low volume of those because they’re a higher price point,” he said. “Then you’ll have far more approachable necklace styles like a slim line chain — that kind of Paul Mescal from ‘Normal People,’ that very average man kind of way — that also performs really well. So I think necklaces generally really drive.”
Pearls have also been a popular style both among customers and celebrities. Akmakijian described pearls as “a really big icebreaker for men’s jewelry” as the style helped de-gender the category for male consumers.
Raymond stated he thinks the popularity in pearls will die down in 2023, and customers will instead gravitate more toward mismatched and dangly earrings, a trend that’s already been embraced on the runways and by several celebrities.
“Personal style is something we’ve seen a lot of generally in the shows from last season and dressing for yourself and being more individual,” he said. “Jewelry will start to speak to that more, whether that’s around diamonds or charms. I think earrings being a little bit more flamboyant — this sense of individuality and personality through jewelry is something we’ll probably see more of going into 2023.”
De Turckheim is also seeing single earrings rise in demand among Mr Porter customers, as well as chains and pendants. He’s seeing a growing interest in colored stones in men’s jewelry as well, with emeralds and rubies leading the trend.
The continued blurring of gender lines is expected to carry on into 2023 with more brands offering unisex styles.
“Jewelry is not being tied to a gender anymore,” Akmakijian said. “Also the idea of men’s jewelry versus women’s jewelry — I think that’s going to disappear. The lines are going to get more and more blurred to where it’s not a separate tab on a website, it’s just going to be jewelry across the board.”
