Elite Jewelry Artistry

Its that chicken and egg scenario all over again.  Fashion and art have always followed one another, but it is almost impossible to say which has the leading influence.  Some critics, most notably Andy Warhol who stated emphatically that all department stores would become galleries and all galleries department stores, have opined that there is little between the two and that art and fashion are but two strokes of the same brush.  The movement towards graffiti and ’street’ art, however, has undeniably moved from the cold concrete streets of the sidewalk to the leather and labels of the catwalk in a manner which suggests art is the leading influence and that fashion, as ever, is hard on its heels.

Graffiti art has always drawn some popularity, but it is only in the last decade that the influence of artists such as Banksy whose work is sought after, revered and commands top dollar, that graffiti has been widely recognised as a work of beauty which is appreciated by the masses as opposed to the view of the early 90s which saw graffiti as a work of defacement or destruction.  Far from councils removing graffiti, walls sprang up across the country to not only promote  this form of art, but to preserve it.  This movement towards viewing graffiti as a genuine expression of art has had a powerful impact on fashion as well.  Wayne Hemmingway of Red or Dead was one of the first in the industry to see the connection between the art on the streets and the impact it would have upon the fashion industry, staging catwalk displays inspired by graffiti and ’street’ style, but it was not until Marc Jacobs and Stephen Sprouse joined forces at Louis Vuitton in 2001 that graffiti art made its first real tag on the fashion industry.  The now famous style of graffiti influenced font on Louis Vuitton handbags and accessories has made it one of the most bought labels in the world today, whilst other big labels like Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci have also brought out ranges inspired by graffiti.

This acceptance amongst big labels of graffiti as an inspiration for design has moved beyond handbags and logos, however, and with the increasing trend for name necklaces a new style of graffiti inspired fashion is emerging.  Made famous by Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, name necklaces have become an iconic symbol of style.  Made from a single sheet of metal, normally silver, each necklace has to be hand cut, giving the jeweler design control over every unique necklace.  Most name necklace designers have a number of fonts to choose from, but it is the undeniable influence of graffiti on the style of writing which makes them so remarkable.  The concept of the necklace, bearing the name of the wearer, also pays homage to traditional tagging in graffiti and shows an independence from brand culture which graffiti art itself seems to inspire.  The wearer has chosen to wear their own ‘tag’, shunning the popular movement to wear designer clothes bearing the name of the label, their name necklace hand crafted and custom designed just for them, and the font itself heavily influenced by graffiti writing.  It is this independence and individuality which gave graffiti art its place in the world as an artistic movement and which also brought it a bad reputation as a form of defacement and non conformity, and after being snapped up by brands such as Louis Vuitton graffiti has shown that it cannot be caged, but its natural nesting place in the world of fashion is with individualism and not brand conformity.