Last week, JCK dug into a recent Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Co. report on the jewelry and watches industry, which stated that male consumers represent “an opportunity for brands to capture share in a relatively uncrowded market driven by increasingly genderless aesthetics and high-profile celebrity influencers, particularly in Asia.”
It’s a compelling idea in theory, but, as noted in our article, the actual stickiness of the men’s jewelry category—and its viability as a highly lucrative opportunity for jewelers—remains to be seen, even as a number of jewelry brands are diversifying to include a men’s or gender-neutral range, and entire businesses are being built on the appeal of luxury cufflinks.
In our discussion, we name-checked the London- and Mumbai, India–based contemporary fashion jewelry brand Misho, which has just released its first-ever men’s collection, featuring classic chains, beaded bracelets, pearls, zodiac necklaces, and signet rings.
“I think men’s relationship with jewelry has always been an interesting one,” says founder and creative director Suhani Parekh. “Traditionally, it was the men who wore the more decadent pieces of jewelry—a glimpse at any portrait painting from the Renaissance, for instance, will often feature men in layers of pearls, diamonds, and precious stones.
“The same can be seen in India. All the way into the 1900s, in both India and throughout the world, jewelry has always held so much symbolic significance of wealth, power, status, and belonging. But I think the men of the past [also] wore their jewels for the same reason women enjoy them today—jewelry looks good with everything!”
Parekh’s pieces for women, which are defined by affordably priced geometric and architectural designs, have been worn by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Doja Cat, and Tracee Ellis Ross. Following the lead of these glitterati, a cadre of male and male-identifying devotees may soon be sporting Misho Man—in the spirit of their Renaissance- and Mughal-era forebears.
And from the looks of the pieces, who could blame them? Men’s jewelry may not be on your JCK Las Vegas shopping list just yet, but be on the lookout to make the most of this moment. There’s something brewing here for sure. And it might be big.
Top: Bauhaus Model 5 ring in 22k gold-plated bronze, 7,500 rupees ($101); Misho
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