Jessica McCormack recently held a jewelry presentation in Paris, where she spun cotton friendship bracelets around the wrists of some of the industry’s greats. At a couture show, the spotlight is on the celebrity circus rather than the clothes, but behind the scenes, there was a simple, sweet moment that was in keeping with the jewelry scene’s overall mood for handcrafted creations. For McCormack, the thoughtful accessory was “not only representative of the new Tapestry collection (an ode to friendship and ’70s knotted bracelets), but also a lovely way for the brand to show its connections to the people it really cares about.” Thanks to another tastemaker taking the accessories scene by storm, the innocent string charm is now a rustic companion to the beaded confections already wrapped around wearers’ arms. Sorry Jessica, but Taylor Swift has had a big presence in the friendship bracelet market for a while now.
In fact, digital director Kelly McDermott, whose primary school days were over as a craftswoman, felt compelled to buy a bracelet-making kit (200 clay beads) to create a colorful friendship token for Giles Hattersley, global network leader and editor-in-chief, who had gotten the features desk tickets to see Swift perform in London for the first time. EraOnce strictly confined to the frenetic confines of Wembley Stadium, McDermott is now [her] This summer, trade in your homemade “down bad” goodies for playful stretchy bracelets from Roxanne Assoulin and cute beaded necklaces from Kirsty Le Marche. Hattersley’s bracelets are trend Not in the office, but if you’re thinking of doing your own Folklore or Evermore tribute, you’ll find plenty of inspiration on the Instagram accounts of members like Gigi Hadid, who proudly sported the bracelet on her wrist on concert days. (As an aside, Travis Kelce once tried to give Taylor a bracelet with his phone number attached to a woven band.)
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Economy-boosting pop stars, responsible for the recent surge in sequin and rhinestone sales, can connect the jewelry trend to the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” Meanwhile, some fashion creatives are finding new personal resonance with the craft movement. Alighieri’s Rosh Mahtani, for example, has traded in her trademark array of gold-plated necklaces and bracelets for talismans worn around the neck on black Japanese strings, for the “innocence of childlike simplicity” that thoughtful jewelers now favor.
“Growing up, I always wore a black string around my neck. If I found a special shell or stone, I would tie it to the string and wear it for good luck,” says Mahtani, who last year released the Link of Wanderlust and Gone Fishing chokers as an ode to that adventure, and has since added brown leather and red sacred strings to her lineup of black Japanese-made cotton strings. “My family isn’t religious, but we do have some rituals,” Roche recalls of the latter material that hangs the charms. “Every August around the full moon, the women tie red strings around their brothers’ wrists with a candlelit prayer. In return, the brothers give small gifts. It’s thought of as a way to keep the bond strong through life’s ups and downs.” Her “Catch of the Day” necklace, featuring a tiny melting goldfish, felt like the perfect tribute to her own Pisces brother.
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The use of cords brings “a certain ease and organic elegance” to Mahtani’s signature Dante-inspired treasures, something that resonates with Alexia Karides of YSSO, a brand at a more affordable end of the jewelry market. “I found the chunky pendants on cords to be a good way to combine dressing up and dressing down. I thought they were really cool,” Karides says. Karides envisioned a modern piece of jewelry with ancient origins inspired by the string necklaces her mother wore in the ’90s. “I remember thinking they looked timeless and fun, but precious at the same time.” Sales show that this unpretentious appeal—“nothing to distract from the pendant”—is resonating with customers who buy the former corporate lawyer’s organic, sculptural pieces, which she created in collaboration with her mother, Staro, an archaeologist and art historian.
Net-a-porter.com has seen a 150% increase in searches for cord necklaces in the past six months alone. Market director Libby Page says the trickle-down effect of Chemena Kamali’s new vision for Chloé has pushed the bohemian jewelry trend toward a focus on craft-led storytelling. Page’s picks? AGMES’ wishbone gold vermeil cord necklace and the simplest of ties, which have appeared in collections for Loewe and The Row. Check out the e-tailer for new brand Maison Mayle, but you can also rely on the quietly artful creations of Sophie Buhai, who is cashing in on her coveted mermaid jade and pearl necklaces.
Crayola-colored jewelry is doing commercially well at Mytheresa.com right now, with beading queens Ileana Makri, Suzanne Curran, Roxanne Furst and Sydney Evans creating platform-exclusive capsules that continue to fascinate collectors with an eye for detail. “These pieces combine meaningful jewelry with summer fun,” asserts Richard Johnson, chief commercial and sustainability officer at Mytheresa.com. Valerie Messika echoes the trend, saying her eponymous brand’s quirky Move Uno bracelets “embodied the mood of the season” and were hugely popular for their styling possibilities (from the beach to the bar, for example).
When fall rolls around, who wants to wear all the fancy jewelry and handmade accessories they bought for Christmas? For Mahtani, switching up her jewelry means much more than trends or old-fashioned sleepover vibes. “I feel like I’m renewing my creative practice and going back to basics,” says the designer, whose beloved brand just celebrated its 10-year anniversary. And let’s be honest, who wants to be the first to take off their friendship bracelets?
