As temperatures rise, newsstands swell with phonebook-sized fashion magazines in a bold declaration that a new season has arrived, bringing with it the launch of countless new collections.
This is important news for retailers as fashion-conscious consumers are increasingly turning to jewellery stores for the latest on-trend pieces. While the industry continues to argue the differentiation between fine and fashion jewellery (see “Re-defining the Fine Line” in Jeweller’s July issue), there’s no disputing the growing customer demand for fashionable items. Jewellers who ignore this do so at their peril, and may even miss crucial sales.
Lindsey Alt is the accessories editor at US-based global trend research and advisory company Fashion Snoops. She believes this summer “is the season of the gold rush – from traditional yellow gold to the recently popular rose gold”.
Alt also notes that a new minimalism has emerged in jewellery with a focus on geometric shapes and clean lines.
Similarly, Maia Adams, co-director of Adorn Insight, a global jewellery trend analysis and market intelligence agency, reports that geometric shapes will have an important influence on components, pattern and surface detail.
“Fashion jewellery is quick to respond to catwalk and street style trends,” she says. “For example, on the spring/summer 13 catwalks we saw a variety of graphic geo prints that translated into lots of triangular silhouettes and tribal motifs.”
The designers at Innerpower, a Dutch jewellery brand specialising in unisex sterling silver jewellery and watches, have responded to this trend by incorporating geometric formations into new collections.
The company’s Squares Collection plays with the layering of lines and comprises the finest of triangular details, while the Lucky Coins range uses circular patterns, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, lines and squares.
“The sharp angles, repetition and clean lines that characterise the geo influence results in jewellery pieces that are not only wearable, but are artful and daring, too,” Innerpower’s Australia and New Zealand general manager Sonia Merlino says, adding that the demand for bling is still strong and new ranges also experiment with different crystal variations and colours.
Bling features heavily in new collections from Denmark-based Story by Kranz & Ziegler. Story’s offering is based on a bracelet and pendant concept and is distributed locally by Story Jewellery Co.
Big and bold
As temperatures rise, newsstands swell with phonebook-sized fashion magazines in a bold declaration that a new season has arrived, bringing with it the launch of countless new collections.
This is important news for retailers as fashion-conscious consumers are increasingly turning to jewellery stores for the latest on-trend pieces. While the industry continues to argue the differentiation between fine and fashion jewellery (see “Re-defining the Fine Line” in Jeweller’s July issue), there’s no disputing the growing customer demand for fashionable items. Jewellers who ignore this do so at their peril, and may even miss crucial sales.
Lindsey Alt is the accessories editor at US-based global trend research and advisory company Fashion Snoops. She believes this summer “is the season of the gold rush – from traditional yellow gold to the recently popular rose gold”.
Alt also notes that a new minimalism has emerged in jewellery with a focus on geometric shapes and clean lines.
Similarly, Maia Adams, co-director of Adorn Insight, a global jewellery trend analysis and market intelligence agency, reports that geometric shapes will have an important influence on components, pattern and surface detail.
“Fashion jewellery is quick to respond to catwalk and street style trends,” she says. “For example, on the spring/summer 13 catwalks we saw a variety of graphic geo prints that translated into lots of triangular silhouettes and tribal motifs.”
The designers at Innerpower, a Dutch jewellery brand specialising in unisex sterling silver jewellery and watches, have responded to this trend by incorporating geometric formations into new collections.
The company’s Squares Collection plays with the layering of lines and comprises the finest of triangular details, while the Lucky Coins range uses circular patterns, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, lines and squares.
“The sharp angles, repetition and clean lines that characterise the geo influence results in jewellery pieces that are not only wearable, but are artful and daring, too,” Innerpower’s Australia and New Zealand general manager Sonia Merlino says, adding that the demand for bling is still strong and new ranges also experiment with different crystal variations and colours.
Bling features heavily in new collections from Denmark-based Story by Kranz & Ziegler. Story’s offering is based on a bracelet and pendant concept and is distributed locally by Story Jewellery Co.
Big and bold
According to the brand’s founder and chief designer Mads Ziegler, the new season is about the “big and bold” elements of large diamond, heart and ball shapes.
“The new tubes with hundreds of pavé set stones add a whole new glamour edge to the Story universe,” Ziegler says, adding that pastel blue and green are the two new dominant colours this season.
Australian jewellery designer Samantha Wills, now based in New York, says her latest collection, Dawn’s Dusk, will use fresh hues including lime, turquoise, jade and opal.
“This collection really exemplifies summer nights, or meetings at dusk, and in this instalment you can expect to see some really graphic shapes to set off the amazing palette as well as some of our classic favourites that really bring the collection together,” she explains.
Another jewellery designer who has been influenced by the lighter side of summer is Georgia Hatzis of Love from Venus. Hatzis says a big trend for her summer collections is teaming white semi-precious stones with rose gold.
On the topic of rose gold, Thomas Sabo’s design signature for 2013 – dubbed Tricolour – incorporates rose gold, yellow gold and sterling silver. Another trend tipped to be popular is the ear cuff.
“Thomas Sabo creative director Susanne Kolbli personally takes great pleasure in the fashionable revival of the ear cuff,” Phil Edwards, managing director for local supplier Duraflex Group Australia (DGA) says.
“Susanne used to love wearing this highly-expressive item of jewellery back in the 1980s.”
Recently, DGA introduced a new brand to the market that specialises in the expanding trend of interchangeable coins. The Nikki Lissoni jewellery line features a range of pendants and coins that can be customised and used in various combinations, and UK trade magazine Professional Jeweller noted that the concept has received huge interest from retailers and suppliers in Europe, even suggesting it may be the “next big craze in jewellery”.
Both Innerpower and Hot Diamonds, distributed by Designa Accessories, also have lines of interchangeable coins.
Merlino says that Innerpower’s lucky coin pendants have surpassed jewellery sales expectations by far: “When first introduced, our collection was likened to the Pandora craze; actually, the quote was ‘This could be the next best thing to Pandora’ by one of our retailers who has enjoyed great success with the collection.”
Fashion is defined as the popular trends at a point in time, but how do designers decide what those trends will be and, more importantly for retailers, whether those trends will be accepted by consumers?
Interpreting trends
“My designs are influenced by the fashion clothing industry as you cannot separate yourself from what is happening in that world today,” Hatzis says, adding, “I am always watching fashion movements many seasons ahead and usually know my colour palettes a season ahead and adapt my designs to suit my brand’s identity.”
Previously, Hatzis worked as a fashion stylist for large companies in the US like Ralph Lauren, which she says has given her an understanding of how to create wearable jewellery that complements designer clothing.
Ziegler explains that while Story’s designers gain inspiration from a variety of places, they too follow fashion clothing trends.
“Story by Kranz & Ziegler is a brand that is always sensitive to what is happening within the fashion industry – I mainly look for colours and patterns within fashion.”
Wills looks to the runways of Paris and Milan but attests that one of the best places for inspiration, especially for colour palettes, is Chanel’s cosmetics business. She adds that the luxury brand’s nail varnish collections are the “best indicators of upcoming seasonal colours”.
“My inspiration is also derived from my personal experiences, regardless of whether that is an experience with a place or people or even items. I love to get inspiration from my surroundings, both my homes have naturally beautiful landscapes, and are filled with equally beautiful people,” Wills says.
The designers for jewellery brand APM Monaco have their attention firmly on the international catwalks. Based in Monaco, the team of three designers plus art director Kika Prette develops 30 new pieces each month.
The local supplier for the brand, Bolt International’s Larry Porter, explains that this is to serve customer demands, even if it’s not an easy task to produce 30 new on-trend pieces every month.
“This is especially relevant in today’s retail environment, where consumers are impatient and want the latest designs today, not in three to six month’s time,” Porter says.
One jewellery designer who is in extremely close proximity to the fashion clothing industry is Karen Walker. Walker began her career in New Zealand as a fashion designer before launching into the jewellery arena more than 10 years ago. The jewellery line is manufactured and distributed by New Zealand-based Worth & Douglas. When asked why the link between fashion and jewellery is important, Walker responds: “We’re in the business of ideas and taste and whatever we apply that to – whether it be apparel, fine jewellery, eyewear or paint – it all talks back