Spotlight On... Jewellery & Fashion Accessories

Below: Joma Jewellery’s new season ‘A Little’ bracelets. Below left: Hot Tomato’s turquoise and pearl earrings. Bottom: Colourful crystals are the centrepiece of Joe Davies’ Equilibrium Gem collection.

All Things Bright & Beautiful

With the season and mood changing from dark to light, jewellery suppliers have been doing their utmost to bring bright colours and a bit of fun to the sector, with wellness the latest vibe, and plenty of sparkle around too.

In fashion accessories, think crossbody bags, trendy hair accessories and scarves in pretty pastels, all adding to a lovely summery look.

Some of the leading companies reveal what’s going to be hot, hot, hot this season.

With Spring around the corner, women everywhere will be looking to add to their jewellery collection, either as a self-treat or as a gift for a friend.

Joma Jewellery’s new Spring/Summer 2022 collection is its most colourful collection yet, with splashes of colour appearing in the company’s brand new collections. They include Joma’s uplifting Wellness Stones, Colour Pop ‘A Littles’, Colours of You and jewellery specifically for Mother’s Day.

“Hero products this season are our brand new ‘A Little’ bracelets and Secret Message lockets, with every new collection being designed to bring joy and delight,” states Joma Jewellery’s founder Katie Loxton. “With so many new sentiments, shapes and semi-precious gemstones, there’s something for everyone to fall in love with. And, as always, every new season’s piece boasts silver or gold plating, making the jewellery a thoughtful treat for all occasions, large or small.”

At Hot Tomato, key trends for the coming season include pearl, turquoise and coral. “Borne out of our frustration at the lack of foreign travel it seems we’re looking to lift our spirits with all that these glorious elements inspire,” says managing director Alex Machin. “They provide a nod to warmer climes and are a much needed boost to take us out of the long, dark winter season. And don’t be ‘gold shy’!” states Alex. “We’re selling more of this colour than ever and this new trend really sings when it’s paired with it. Plus, when it comes to bracelets, look for colour and finer ‘staples’ that can be layered with other favourites for an infinite combination of possibilities.”

Crystals too, are set to take the market by storm in 2022. “They are the ‘must have’ trend for 2022,” says Joe Davies’ jewellery

buyer and designer Mary Caputo. “These magical rocks may be the ‘in’ craze, but in truth they have been around since ancient times. Not only is it fashionable to be seen rocking these aesthetically pleasing jewels, but they are also believed to get rid of negative vibes, helping people to feel regenerated and revived, a win, win in the trend stakes!” enthuses Mary.

To tie in with the trend, Mary highlights a brand new Equilibrium Gem collection from Joe Davies, with the range incorporating amethyst, rose quartz, pink agate, amazonite and many more natural quartz crystals.

As always, colour is playing a key role in the new jewellery and scarf collections from Miss Milly. “Spring is looking brilliantly bright and fresh,” observes managing director Sarah Watmore. “Yellow, lime green, bright purple and coral all feature in unusual, brave colour combinations alongside perennially popular turquoise, fuchsia and royal blue, with scarves that complement and clash offering upsell opportunities.”

At Sea Gems, Kate Evans highlights the sparkling faceted stones and striking organic designs that feature in the company’s Silver Origins collection for Spring 2022. “They’ve been inspired by the iconic Cornish landscape, and reflect the colours of the ocean,” explains Kate. “The intricate beachcomber range, delicate botanical and wildlife designs, as well as fun, whimsical motifs, celebrate moments of love and life.”

At Talbot Fashions, buyer Ginny Bryant confirms that natural paua shell is still as popular as ever in the company’s Tide collection, with exclusive designs proving to be hot sellers. “They include the highland cow, thistles, kingfisher, moon gazing hare, owls, Christmas holly and a robin to name just a few,” she highlights.

In addition, the company’s Wish brand features a diverse collection of fashion jewellery encompassing pendants, bracelets and earrings in varied materials. (Themes include cats and dogs, celestial, chakras, angels, woodland, flowers, hearts, Celtic, faceted glass and dried flowers, encapsulated in a glass heart pendant).

Life Charms meanwhile, is introducing more elegant, feminine designs this Spring. “Redesigned packaging styling completes each piece, giving our bracelets new life,” says managing director Tony Barrett. “Our new collections are intended to appeal to a wide range of women and make the ideal gift for any occasion. For example, our gold plated chain T-bar bracelets have been created to empower women while our delicate Birthstone collection features stones for each month of the year.”

When it comes to earrings, Crumble and Core’s director Louise Pike reveals a brand new collection with a trendy twist. “After a cold winter, Spring beckons and we all need a bit of brightness and fun in our lives, which we have tried to emulate in our cocktail range which includes sterling silver earring cards paired with sparkly CZ studs.

“Classic cocktails in the range include Mojito, Strawberry Daiquiri, Sex on the Beach, Bloody Mary, Pina Colada and, of course, Porn Star Martini,” highlights Louise.

With so much choice over the coming season, the challenge for gift retailers will be in selecting the pieces that not only reflect the trends, but also make their shops sparkle on the high street!

Left: Part of the Floria collection from Miss Milly which features a Miss Milly scarf in the background. Below middle: Matching earring and pendant heart jewellery from Talbot Fashions. Right: New birthstone jewellery from Life Charms. Bottom left: Bracelets and rings are part of the new Silver Origins collection from Sea Gems. Bottom right: Crumble & Core’s Strawberry Daiquiri card and earrings.

Spotlight On... Fashion Accessories

With fashion accessories going from strength to strength, everything and anything goes this season.

“At Powder, we have a fantastically glamorous collection for SS22 which includes our long awaited kimono range alongside new luxurious pyjamas and velvet wash bags,” says Hannah Graham, head of marketing. “All of our new pieces feature in exquisitely bold colours and designs which we hope will bring a Powder-esque carnival atmosphere to our boutiques this season!”

At Hot Tomato, managing director Alex Machin says that hair accessories are still a great category to buy into. “Clips, clamps, scrunchies and ties have been a staple since the first lockdown as we continue to play and have fun with our tresses,” says managing director Alex Machin.

And with one size clothing continuing to be a big trend for gift shops, T-shirts from Wrendale Designs are a new collection for the company. “It’s one of our favourite new ranges yet,” enthuses founder and creative supremo Hannah Dale. “The Tshirts feature eight of our best selling animal designs - complemented with coloured stripes - co-ordinating with the rest of our accessories collection.”

As Katie Loxton, founder of her eponymous company and also Joma Jewellery puts it: “After an uncertain couple of years, this Spring is all about having fun with fashion choices and refreshing your wardrobe with new shapes, new hues and new materials. Our SS22 collection elevates with the introduction of a fresh new season colour palette, which includes sage green, cornflower blue, off-whites, pinks and dark amber taking centre stage, all of which sit back with the bestselling core colourways.” The company’s signature gold tone hardware and vegan leather design continues into the new season across brand new silhouettes, to include the Zana and Cara crossbody bags and the Dani tortoiseshell backpack, all inspired by the ‘girl onthe-go’ who wants to update her bag collection with statement, timeless styles. “Real semi-precious stones that bring healing properties and positive mantras are laced throughout the collection,” confirms Katie, “while sentiments have been updated across pouches for the new season.”

Staying with the newest colours, pastels are also a key trend for the Spring/Summer season, says Joe Davies’ jewellery buyer and designer Mary Caputo. “With Spring in the air, soft tranquil hues are essential,” comments Mary. “To tie in with the colour palette, we will be launching pretty printed and foiled scarves in soft, subtle pastels along with tote bags.” As for water bottles as a fashion accessory, designer Clare Davis, creator of the reusable Bottle Soc collection, highlights the resurgence of the crossbody bag. “It echoes the hands-free ethos of Bottlesoc, a washable stretchy bottle carrier sleeve that helps protect bottles from scratches and can also be personalised with the user’s name or a cheeky message.”

Walking sticks too, have become a fashion accessory in a much elevated product sector. “Walking stick users are currently having fun with their stick purchases,” says Classic Canes’ managing director Charlotte Gillan. “Bright colours, striking patterns and anything with a bit of sparkle is selling very well. We think the public are looking for canes that cheer them up and make a positive statement. Also, sticks featuring British wildlife are selling exceptionally well at the moment, so we expect our new bee, songbird and owl prints to top the best seller lists this Spring. We will also be producing a new trade catalogue in the Summer, where we’ll be launching lots of new patterns and styles to reflect changing fashions.”

Right: Katie Loxton’s Cara crossbody collection showcases new Spring/Summer colours Left: Part of a brand new kimono range from Powder. Below right: The reusable hands-free Bottle Soc from Clare Davis. Below left: Hot Tomato’s woven Alice bands.

Far left: One of the designs in a T-shirt collection that’s brand new from Wrendale Designs.

Left: Joe Davies’ new pastel scarves for

Spring.

Right: Birds from

Classic Canes.