The Rise of the Cufflink in 2013

HRH The Prince of Wales it seems is Britain’s latest fashion icon, a renowned cufflink wearer and supporter of gentlemanly fashion, he will officially open the first London Collections: Men event in January. The event will host a variety of “British fashion talent, from the world’s most innovative emerging talents to global menswear brands and Savile Row tailors.”

Building on the previous successes of menswear events in London, LC: M is expected to be a game changer in the landscape of men’s fashion in Britain, following an already shifting perception of men’s clothes and designers. Brands lined up to showcase their designs at London Collections: Men include, Oasis front man Liam Gallagher’s ‘Pretty Green’ label, Hackett London, Nicole Farhi, Burberry and many more.

With 2013 already looking like an inspiring year for men’s fashion and British menswear designers, the effect on the popularity of men’s accessories will be equally noticeable. Following the styles of past seasons, classic accessories such as cufflinks and pocket squares have very much been brought back to the fore of mens dressing. This coupled with a desire for luxury products, designed to last for generations has seen a surge in popularity for British brands such as Deakin & Francis.

James Deakin, head designer at Deakin & Francis believes the surge in popularity of traditional men’s accessories, including cufflinks and tie slides, is because the rules of wearing cufflinks and other classic types of accessory are now far more relaxed. He says,“The purpose of the cufflink is almost unchanged but all the rules for the wearer have gone. You can wear cufflinks with jeans and a shirt. You can wear skull cufflinks, jet cufflinks, moving cufflinks…we even have toaster cufflinks that have a pop up piece of silver toast!”

With the choice in men’s accessories becoming increasingly varied and accessible, many men are now choosing to express themselves through their choice of jewellery.“Instead of opting for the safe, classic enamel cuff links men are now wearing bright pink dinosaurs and motorbikes. With cufflinks it’s now a case of anything goes”

That’s not to say that the more traditional cufflink styles have dropped off the radar, in fact these styles seemed to have also gathered more of a following. Popular shows including Downton Abbey and Mad Men see a formal, put-together look being favoured with fashion trends also following in the same footsteps. This has led to a return of tailored suits, hats and of course cufflinks-the staple in many men’s wardrobes at this time.

The future for men’s accessories is looking incredibly positive, with James adding,“There is a very smartly dressed crowd out there, with younger generations opting for the dapper look. I’m not worried about the future of the cufflink at all”

James’ cufflink offering for 2013 will include more moving cufflinks, subtle sea life designs and yet more quirky skull cufflinks.