9 minute read
Spotlight On... Jewellery/Fashion Accessories
Layering Up For Autumn
With the party season on its way over the next few months, jewellery and fashion accessories will really be coming into their own for gift retailers, with gold continuing to shine, and stars, sparkle, natural stone embellishments and pearls all trending.
What else will be adorning ears, necks and wrists this Autumn/Winter? PG&H spoke to some of the leading suppliers.
Fashion jewellery remains both a much appreciated gift and a self-purchase item, with few women able to resist adding another piece to their collection, or gifting a lovely, special item to a friend. And as we transition from summer into Autumn/Winter, jewellery trends are all about layering necklaces and bracelets, and being bold, with statement jewellery leading the way.
According to Hot Tomato’s managing director Alex Machin, stars will be in the ascendance again this winter. “Of all the
season’s signature, festive motifs, the star is the least risky in terms of buying into a trend,” says Alex. “Yes, it is Christmassy, but stars easily transcend the seasons, plus, in our experience, buyers rarely get stuck with them.”
Alex also suggests that gift retailers should keep an eye out for natural stone embellishments. “They bestow a unique, one-of-a-kind element to each piece of jewellery that they adorn, with most of us revelling in a little piece of individuality.”
Sparkle meanwhile, will be at the heart of Joma Jewellery’s Autumn/Winter collection, with the company’s A Little bracelets taking centre stage, along with boxed earrings and necklaces extending the giftable collection and affording a ‘mix and match’ opportunity for retailers and their customers. “The brand new Joma Jewellery boxed Celebration sets feature three twinkling A Littles,” confirms Joma’s creative director and founder Katie Loxton, “and following on from the popularity of the wellness trend, there is also the new Affirmation crystal A Littles and Spirit Stones collection which heroes semi-precious gemstones, from amazonite to amethyst.
Plus, everything is packaged and ready to gift,” she adds. At Joe Davies, silver is key for
Autumn/Winter 2022, as is layering necklaces and bracelets. “It’s a must,” says Joe Davies’ buyer Mary Caputo, adding that dainty pearl-adorned jewellery is very much on trend for the coming season. New Equilibrium sets of threelayered necklaces and sets of three stacking bracelets are brand new from the company, reflecting the key themes. “They come with luxury wardrobe style packaging, making them ideal for Christmas gifts,” points out Mary. At Rodney Holman, Jonathan Holman highlights: “So far this year, we’ve seen a real move towards stronger sales of gold-plated fashion jewellery, and expect this
to continue right through Autumn/Winter and beyond. With this in mind, we have a selection of pieces on offer, where we have also made them available in rhodium/silver plating too, so that they appeal to a wider audience.”
Another hot trend the company is seeing, and offering as part of their collection, are pieces with freshwater pearl detail. “The collection is already selling
Above: Some of the newest designs from Hot Tomato with green a key colour. Left: Joma Jewellery’s boxed Celebration sets. Right: Pearl jewellery from Joe Davies’ Equilibrium collection. Below: Colourful gold bracelets from Rodney Holman.
strongly, and we expect it to grow as the year continues,” Jonathan comments, also predicting that there will be more and more colour coming through in the second half of the year. “We have some fabulous examples, and will be showcasing them at Harrogate’s Home & Gift in July."
Well known for colourful brights, Miss Milly will be making a splash with a bold Autumn/Winter colour palette that includes fuchsia, dark orange and emerald green, alongside traditional seasonal jewel tones and combinations. “Red is back in a big way, and our broken lines resin offers an unusual scratched or waxed effect, adding to our marble, foil, iridescent and tin foil resins,” explains managing director Sarah Watmore, who adds that the company’s Autumnal scarves will both co-ordinate or clash with the new designs.
“Bold colours are still very much on trend, with fun and over-the-top fashion set to dominate this Autumn/Winter,” concurs Carrie Shapiro, founder and creative director of Carrie Elspeth. “Colours are
getting brighter, with sparkly crystals and sequins the way to go. Our brand new collection for Autumn/Winter 2022 features a wide variety of versatile, easyto-wear designs, with the Zodiac range of charm bracelets hugely popular with customers looking for sincere, heart-felt, well priced gifts that are made locally.”
Life Charms has launched new, silverplated festive bracelets featuring Christmassy styling decorated with zirconia stones and sparkling beads. The new range includes bracelets with detachable charms, adjustable bracelets in Christmas crackershape packaging and a set of three bracelets with sparkling beads.
“Our Christmas collection is packed in eye-catching themed luxury packaging to add a hint of magic and festivity,” highlights Life Charms managing director Tony Barrett.
Silver jewellery continues to be a favourite, with Sea Gems Cornwall launching brand new, exciting pieces in their Silver Origins and Celtic Lands collections. “We have created unique silver jewellery that captures the essence of our iconic landscape, nature, wildlife and heritage,” says Sea Gems’ director Marcus Price. “In addition, the art of fine enamelling, with its fusion of vibrant colours, creates unique jewellery in our Mackintosh, Celtic and nature ranges, with every piece individually handcrafted and fired.”
At Reeves and Reeves, the company offers exclusive sterling silver jewellery based on and inspired by the Dorset countryside. “Texture is a big trend for us, with a strong botanical influence,” confirms the company’s co-founder Caroline Reeves.
Above: A Christmas cracker from Life Charms. Above left: The Seren bracelet from Carrie Elspeth. Below left: A bracelet and rings from Sea Gems’ Silver Origins collection. Far left: Among the colourful new necklaces from Miss Milly. Below: Heart designs from Reeves and Reeves.
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Watch Out
PMC (Personalised Memento Company) is adding to the company’s growing personalised jewellery category with an elegant silver ladies watch for Autumn/Winter 2022 which can be engraved on the reverse with a special message.
“Demand has grown for personalised jewellery and watches over the past couple of years as they make the perfect keepsake for all occasions,” says PMC’s sales director Debi Hancock.
Left: An engravable silver ladies watch from PMC.
Meanwhile, tapping into the wellness trend with jewellery is Crumble & Core. “Our wellbeing range includes earring lotus flowers, hamsa, eye, Buddha necklaces featuring the tree of life and hamsa hand and elephant pendants,” highlights Crumble & Core director Louise Pike. “It’s a vibrant, colourful range symbolising peace, wellbeing, love and protection, and makes a lovely letterbox gift to send to loved ones.”
Although vibrant colour is very much a core theme that will be reflected in many of Autumn/Winter’s jewellery collections, designs remain diverse, with a true ‘something for everyone’ on offer for gift retailers looking for product to wow their customers with.
Below: A hamsa pendant from Crumble & Core’s new jewellery range.
Stepping Out In Style
Following the Queen’s admission of mobility issues, walking sticks have been in the news recently, with Classic Canes revealing a wealth of new designs based on dogs, cats, horses and wildlife. “The latest, heightadjustable folding cane features various breeds of cute, small dogs including Scottie dogs and dachshunds,” explains managing director Charlotte Gillan, “and we are seeing increasing enthusiasm from buyers for any sticks featuring our furry and feathered friends. We value our pets so much in the UK, so it’s lovely to feature them on walking sticks as a talking point, and as a fun present for animal lovers.”
Above: A dog design from Classic Canes.
A Passion For Fashion
Fashion accessories are a ‘must have’ for many gift shops, with Autumn/Winter’s colourful trends at the fore. “This winter, fashion accessories are about wrapping up and keeping toasty, a first line of defence against the huge hike in the cost of heating our homes,” says Hot Tomato’s managing director Alex Machin. With this thought in mind, the company will be launching a range of textiles including wraps, ponchos, scarves and faux fur. ‘Green is this season’s mantra, any shade, any hue,” emphasises Alex. “Green has been filtering through for a while now, but this season will see it in abundance as the ‘go to’ accent colour.” Other trends to look out for are fringing and colour-blocking. “They’re key for fashion accessories for Autumn/Winter 2022,” highlights Joe Davies’ buyer Mary Caputo, who confirms that fingerless gloves feature strongly in this winter’s accessories. Fuchsia pink, bright tones of blue, along with grey, will be the company’s key colours for the coming season, with Joe Davies’ Equilibrium collection featuring cosy, brightly coloured colour blocked scarves, chunky cable knit hat and scarf sets with metallic fringing, animal print scarves gloves, and printed scarves showing country garden designs, all of which, says Mary, are trending for the coming season.
Meanwhile, the Katie Loxton Autumn/Winter 2022 collection will be showcasing a new vibe, with refreshed best sellers and brand new silhouettes paired with high quality luxurious textures that ooze high quality. Products include the new Quinn saddle bag, available in both classic and faux croc additions, as well as the Isla collection which includes tassel zip detailing, and the new Oxford weekend in a premium design.
“These updated collections are also available in two new hues - olive green and rich, sumptuous plum,” confirms creative director Kate Loxton, founder of her eponymous company and Joma Jewellery.
At Caroline Gardner, senior account manager Luca Bridges highlights that borg shearling (faux sheepskin) has moved into fashion accessories, with the company bringing out a range for Autumn/Winter. “It includes a cosmetic pouch and a cosy eye mask in a handy pouch,” highlights Luca.
