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They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but when it comes to jewelry, Louis Vuitton believes men need friends, too.
The French luxury house has launched a fine jewelry line for men called Les Gastons Vuitton, which celebrates Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the founder’s grandson, who was known for being an inventor and collector.
In fact, a significant portion of Louis Vuitton’s famed trunk archive is said to have been drawn from Gaston’s personal trunk collection.
The new 18-piece line features a range of bracelets, stud earrings, and necklaces in white gold and diamonds, and was inspired by the personality of this “interesting character” who “was not talked about very much,” Francesca Amfitheatrof, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of watches and jewelry, told WWD.
“I found it interesting because Gaston is really similar to men today, who are in touch with their inner selves, don’t need to be macho, are interested in the arts, collecting, cooking—things that wouldn’t have been considered appropriate 20 or 30 years ago,” she said.
Louis Vuitton is not alone in trying to sell jewelry to men. Retailers from Kendra Scott to David Yurman have also introduced masculine jewelry lines. In fact, Browns Fashion, which sells a number of accessories brands, noted triple-digit sales growth in the sector over the three seasons leading up to May of last year, the Business of Fashion reported.
Furthermore, per retail research firm Edited, men’s jewelry as a category doubled in Q1 2023, in comparison to the same period in 2021, according to BoF.
And as celebrities like Timothée Chalamet, Harry Styles, and Lil Nas X—who have all appeared wearing jewelry on the red carpet—present a more fluid approach to masculinity, the trend is likely to grow.