Harry Styles, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams drive men to pearls
Celebrities are driving the latest jewellery trend for the fashionable young men of Generation Z.
Kirwan Mactaggart can pinpoint the moment he first considered wearing pearls.
At a staff Christmas party in December, “some of my co-workers were having a conversation about men wearing pearls and how it’s really cool and that it would suit me if I wore them”, Mactaggart tells The Australian.
“I like listening to fashion advice from girls in particular because I feel they have a better taste for it, not that guys are tone deaf to it.”
Seed planted, soon thereafter, “my nanna dropped off a whole bunch of jewellery boxes at our house and I saw a necklace in there – unfortunately the one she had was a bit too small”.
A quick search on Facebook marketplace soon connected him with a short string of freshwater pearls for $120 – and he’s rarely been seen without it in the months since.
The 20-year-old from East Fremantle in Perth, who plays guitar and keyboards with rock band Koi Pond, and also works as a bartender, is one of many young men who have taken up pearls with aplomb.
“Pearl jewellery has been popping up a lot in the menswear space lately, and we probably have Harry Styles to thank,” Jake Millar, editor of GQ Australia, tells The Australian.
“Whether the chunky strand of pearls he’s worn on and off stage, or the single dangly pearl earring he rocked at the Met Gala a few years ago, he has helped take it from the fashion fringes into the mainstream.
“Now you can barely open TikTok or Instagram without seeing stylish young guys decked out in pearls from Gen Z favourite Vivienne Westwood or a host of other brands.”
Sydney stylist and creative director David Bonney concurs, saying the celebrity influence is “100 per cent” leading the charge, adding that “musicians and sports stars are the most significant fashion influencers for men”.
He cites the kickstarter as Pharrell Williams taking to the catwalk for Chanel’s Metiers d’Art collection back in 2016, draped in long Coco-worthy strands. A$AP Rocky is another style guru for young men, “so if he champions an idea, a year later it has trickled down to fast fashion land”, says Bonney.
Mactaggart, as well as being swayed by friends, concedes: “I actually did Google ‘celebrities wearing pearls’ to see if it was a thing.
“I would say my favourite celebrity rocking them was A$AP Rocky. I think he’s a pretty cool dude, he was wearing them a few years ago.”
While short, choker-length strands have been the most popular pearls, celebrities have also taken to wearing a single earring, fob chains and bracelets.
The autumn-winter 2022-23 men’s catwalks in January were filled with not only men in jewellery, but pearl jewellery.
Fendi offered chokers worn over knitted neck warmers, while Dolce & Gabbana sent out jangling necklaces of crystals and pearls.
‘Young man’s game’
Of course, the trend coincides with the rise in gender-fluid dressing, thanks to Gen Z’s embracing of self-expression through fashion.
Bonney believes pearls are very much “a young man’s game”, for those that have “an individual approach to style”.
“That said, men in their teens and 20s are really open to the idea of gender-fluid style, so we’re seeing pearls appear across the spectrum of retailers, from Mikimoto X Comme des Garcons to Asos and Culture Kings.”
For those men willing, there are myriad ways to add a little lustre to their accessories repertoire.
Granted, in the fashion realm they are usually faux pearls, or freshwater pearls, being much more affordable than the real thing.
But the ripple effect is being felt throughout the broader pearl industry.
James Brown, managing director of Pearls of Australia, which owns Broome’s Cygnet Bay South Sea pearl farm and also the Broken Bay akoya farm on the Hawkesbury River in NSW, says that while there are undoubtedly historical and aristocratic precedents for men in pearls, “for this era, it’s new”.
“When was the last time you saw a man wearing a pearl necklace?” he asks The Australian.
“What I find fascinating is that it’s not only young males that are leading the charge on this, but from what I’ve seen (they do) look like (they’re wearing) the classic Mikimoto strand, which might be freshwater, the classic small, round pearl strand worn almost like a choker, quite tight.”
Brown is also intrigued by the origins of the trend.
“Is it purely a fashion thing, following a rock star, or is there some other subliminal stuff as well? Part of me hopes that they do start to make some connection to the ocean.
“I doubt there’s some deep, meaningful connection to sustainability, but even if it’s just a loose link to a ‘natural’ product from the ocean, that would be cool as well.”
‘Less is more’
Of course, way back in 2002, Australian pearl company Autore started to explore this genre of jewellery.
Founder Rosario Autore collaborated with Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe on a collection of pearl jewellery, championing chokers and bracelets featuring a single South Sea pearl on a rubber band with metal detailing.
“He was ahead of the thread,” says Ruby Autore of her father.
The younger Autore has herself launched a diffusion line for the company, Autore Moda, which next month will release a line of men’s pearl jewellery.
While non-Gen Z Australian men may baulk at the idea of wearing pearls, there are ways to incorporate them into your accessories game.
A number of brands, including Pearls of Australia, Kailis and Paspaley, offer cufflinks, or bracelets featuring a single pearl.
Brown says that the bracelets, which Pearls of Australia has offered on a neoprene band for a number of years, are “a constant” in the company’s sales.
He adds that a single pearl, on a choker or bracelet, is “almost part of the Broome uniform”.
“If you go on any of the small Kimberley cruise boats, more than half of the men working on them will be wearing one. It’s just that easy-to-wear connection to the iconic environment.”
Kailis’ Explorer collection is aimed at men, and includes bracelets with beads in tiger’s eye, turquoise, lava stone and gold or silver, with a single statement pearl.
“They are little expressions of style,” says Eithne Healy, Kailis marketing manager.
“I think people are a little bit more bold with their choices, particularly since the pandemic.
“People are buying what they want and what is an expression of who they are rather than just going for the safest option.”
She adds that the turquoise-and-pearl bracelet “looks great with a crisp white shirt”.
Millar advises a “less is more” approach when starting out.
“A single band of pearls can be quite chic, but you probably don’t need to go the full Audrey Hepburn pearl stack for the weekend brunch run,” he says.
“For newcomers to the trend, maybe start with a simple bracelet and take things from there.”
Bonney likes the approach taken by a number of celebrities, to “mix metal chains with the pearls, I think that’s a more all-seasons approach, and looks less like you’ve raided your mum’s jewel case”.
“I think (pearl necklaces) look great just on a white T-shirt, but equally a beautiful pearl earring with evening wear is a confident flex.”
Mactaggart has been “quite surprised” how well received his pearls have been.
“I come from a small country town where people aren’t as open to new ideas as they are in Fremantle, per se. I thought there’d be a lot more ribbing about it, but everyone thought I suited it straight away. I was confident in myself wearing them and I think that showed.
“They’re something people are always pointing out or complimenting me about when I first meet them.”
Have his friends started to follow suit?
Well, after seeing Mactaggart in his necklace, the lead singer of Koi Pond has bought his own.
“He was like, ‘Sorry, man, I’m stealing your style’.”