Entire companies have been built around following celebrity trends. The reason is that what celebrities wear has a huge impact on what consumers want to buy and consequently, on what retailers want from manufacturers. Consumer purchasing, however, is not always a direct “like it – buy it” scenario and is contingent upon the consumer tailoring a favorite celebrity look to meet every day reality. As a fashion accessory, jewelry must walk the fine line between what consumers want, what is accessible and what fashion sets the stage for.
For generations, the fashion industry has spurred annual sales with seasonal introductions that become consumer “trends”. This “trending” was noted as early as the 1800’s when American author Henry David Thoreau said, “Every generation laughs at the old fashions but religiously follows the new”. We all follow fashion trends to some extent. The fact is that we have no real choice. No matter what we purchase, whether season’s late or on sale, is a result of fashion trends dictated by designer aesthetics, merchandiser’s needs, editor’s visions, publicist’s influence and celebrity style choices. Jewelry styles also trend, but in fashion’s footsteps. As an accessory, jewelry design is formed and framed by clothing lines, what materials are used and what colors, combinations and looks are fashionable.
Consumer purchasing is driven by the equation of two elements: Desire and Relevance! Our desire for a product is driven by our wants and dreams, our self-appraisal and how we’d like others to perceive us. Relevance is the reality filter of how that item will fit into our lives. Our economic and social situation, our physical needs and to some extent, what society deems as appropriate.
Desire is cultivated by marketers in many ways with one of the most effective tools being celebrity placement. Kim Kitchings of Cotton Inc. notes that consumer are, “.. looking towards stars as fashion inspirations…young women are immersed in magazines, movies, television shows and especially MTV and they take their fashion cues from them.”
American’s have a voracious appetite for all things celebrity. From a numbers standpoint celebrity media generates some of the highest circulations and viewership of any media, in some cases delivering visuals and messages to 4 times the audience. From an emotional standpoint the reasons are numerous:
• Celebrities get noticed and help marketers cut through the clutter. People identify with their favorite celebrities
• Celebrities act as a “guidepost” on what’s hot and what’s not. After all they have access to the newest and best products and style advice.
• Celebrity use of a product confers an endorsement. People aspire to the products that celebrities like. Ownership of those items helps facilitate our basic need for self-esteem.
• Celebrity-owned products signify success and are usually shown in the desirable context of glamorous events.
This “red-carpet effect” points to a well-documented potential for purchase. In February 2010 the Wall Street Journal reported “.. (Sandra) Bullock’s Vivienne Westwood gown at the People’s Choice Awards ranked among the top of all red-carpet appearances this year in inspiring viewers to click through to retail sites.” Celebrity wear also has the same impact on jewelry. Last year, Women’s Wear Daily (March 2009) reported, “Several pieces of jewelry worn by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Beyonce Knowles at this year’s Academy Awards and Golden Globes, ranging from $85,000 to over $1,000,000 have been sold”. And evidence of this is not merely anecdotal. In a study by AM demographics respondents 18 to 34 ranked celebrities as their primary influence when “wanting possessions that others have”. Among respondents 35 to 44 celebrities ranked secondary (to friends) but still maintained a generous influence.
Relevance, a mix of what’s fashionable at the time, the economy and what society deems as “appropriate”, gets added into the mix. The equation of what is desirable over what is relevant to a target market helps provide insight and direction on what will trend. This is how desire and relevance is helping shape jewelry design and sales trends:
• Celebrities are wearing more color on the red carpets and using their jewelry to either match or contrast with their colored gowns. This is being supported by the wide variety of colors and bolder prints that we’re seeing introduced by fashion designers. The trend will continue and there will be more interest in jewelry with color: Colored diamonds, colored gemstones and color mixes of both will continue to be popular as well as larger pieces that will stand up to the bolder prints.
• Garments are styled with a more relaxed silhouette overall, showing wider open necklines, bare arms, less beading and plenty of movement. We’ve recently seen many “Grecian” styled gowns on the red carpet. This relative “bareness” points to the fact that jewelry will be more important to compete a look and is already paving the way for larger sized pieces such as larger earrings and necklaces, as well all the wearing of multiples.
• We are seeing more popularity of younger celebrities today and societal shifts are showing evidence of less differentiation between male/female roles. This introduces a whole new generation of men who wear jewelry regularly and often multiple pieces. This will inspire continued increases in the interest for men’s jewelry and more “masculine sized” jewelry for women as well as more blackened metal. Additionally, less rigid dress-codes (for work and play), combined with a “trading up” mentality mean that pieces with versatility, such as pins or “buildable pieces” that can be worn for a number of occasions or added-to over time will be popular.
• The recent economic situation has shifted the consumer mind set and priorities for purchase decisions. Many celebrities don’t want to appear to be “blinged-out” and overall, people, including celebrities, have adopted a “high/low” mentality to dressing (mixing disparately prices items). People will look for bigger more important looks and want to emulate the “celebrity-look for less”. According to W Magazine in their recent survey uniqueness, special occasions and value are the most important motivators. Higher priced or larger gems will be popular when mixed with the casualness of non-precious elements to create uniqueness and value.
When it comes to creating new pieces and forecasting which products will be huge and which won’t, nobody has all the answers. However, looking at what consumers desire and developing ways to meet that desire with products that are relevant to your target is an excellent strategy. Viewing celebrities and celebrity media as vehicles used to create desire will definitely give you a peek into what consumers will be looking for and help turn that red carpet coverage you’re watching into a crystal ball.
I am taking a break from the elemental table today because unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months, you know that William and Kate are getting married today. Which means that traffic in London will be a nightmare, so everyone in the UK is getting a holiday.
A Sri Lankan jewellers’ organisation claims to have solved an enduring secret surrounding the engagement ring of royal fiancee Kate Middleton.
Bejewelled, superbly crafted, each with its own intriguing story, and full of surprises, the first in a series of Couture Egg Pendants herald Springtime in the new Saisons Russes High Jewellery Collection from Fabergé, the jewellery and objects house that embraces creativity, craftsmanship and heritage. The egg pendants, the first to bear the authentic Fabergé name since 1917, represent rebirth, new life that bursts forth in spring, welcomed and celebrated after the long, harsh Russian winter.
The message spread within seconds: Roberto Stern was about to cross Mamilla Avenue any moment now and enter the elegant store overlooking David’s Citadel. The staff poised itself, tense and excited. It was as though King David himself was about to arrive. The anticipation ended with a modest, even somewhat shy entry of the man who now rules the H. Stern empire, the individual who is responsible for the revolution that has made H. Stern one of the leading jewelry brands. We sat down next to a side table, along with the general manager of H. Stern in Israel – Israel Kurt – who believes that if he doesn’t open a new store every year, he’s slipping.
