Like a lot of fashion over the past few years, jewellery has been minimal and dainty. While we love stacking our gold rings and chains as much as the next person, after years of the trend, it’s time for a change.
This summer, as we venture out again, fashion is all about having fun – and for colourful fashion lovers, it’s been a long time coming. It’s clear on Instagram, where we’re flashed images of rainbow beads, kitsch resin rings and multi-coloured friendship bracelets at every other scroll.
You either love it or you hate it, but at Wear Next we can’t get enough of 90s-style jewellery. They say that the little details make all the difference and it’s certainly true in this case.
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You have a handful of independent brands to thank for the demise of minimalist jewellery. July Child, which offers a selection of enamel rings featuring sugar swirls, flowers and clouds has proved a hit amongst the fashion crowd and the brand now boasts 121k Instagram followers at the time of writing.
Similarly Berlin-based brand WALD’s daisy necklaces have been spotted on countless influencers over the years, proving our appetite for the aesthetic is very much present (and growing).
If you’re a fan too, read on for 5 of our favourite colourful jewellery brands that have reached cult status thanks to their cute designs.
July Child Jewellery
Spin Spin Sugar Rush Gold Rings, £95 each, July Child – buy now
After spending years working on building her personal jewellery collection, Sinead Flood founded July Child to bring it to the public, before launching her own range, Daughter by July Child, in 2020.
Flood says, “Jewellery is an expression of who you are. It’s a similar form of expression as a tattoo. Your jewellery can last you a lifetime and no two people’s jewellery collections should be the same. I like the fact that each piece of jewellery tells its own story – of your travels and adventures, your family, your passions and beliefs.”
Éliou
Thalia Necklace, $70, Éliou – buy now
Designers and travel enthusiasts Cristina Mantilla and Duda Teixeira launched Éliou to bring their beach-ready visions to life. Harry Styles wore one of the brand’s beaded necklaces, now named the Harry necklace, in his Golden video, and the rest is history.
We first saw the brand’s phone and glasses chains, now labelled ‘leashes’. Check out the beautiful gold and pearl Minas leash here if you want to add some glamour to your shades.designer, Rocio Canals, is the multifaceted creative that goes behind the name of Wilhelmina Garcia a pseudonym and magical persona that she created to design and reinvented herself again through the jewellery where she tells stories.
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Wilhelmina Garcia
Gold Pink Daisy Necklace, €198, Wilhelmina Garcia – buy now
Barcelona-based designer and creative Rocio Canals goes under the pseudonym and “magical persona” Wilhelmina Garcia, a name she used to found her jewellery brand in 2012. Magical, it is.
Each piece, be it hair slides, necklaces or rings, has a fabulous addition, such as a flower, turtle or yin yang symbol. They’re all made of 18kt gold and silver, while Canals works with precious and semi-precious stones sourced from around the world.
WALD Berlin
Shining Star Mint Earrings, €79 each, WALD Berlin – buy now
We’ve long been in love with WALD’s gold, pearl and daisy necklaces and if you haven’t yet seen them, you soon will be too.
Founded by stylist and model Dana Roski and Joyce Binneboese, the brand started as a brick and mortar store in Berlin’s Mitte in 2012, they decided to sell exclusively online. Their values are strong ones, as the brand is a ‘fair-trade and family-oriented business, supporting women, mothers and grandmothers all over Germany.’
They say, ‘WALD tries to empower and give back to some of the most important members of society, who often enough struggle to resume their career after being a full-time mum and are likely to be overlooked unfairly. Every single piece – in some point of its manufacturing process – goes through the hands of one of the women working at our collective. They are a vital part in the production of all of our pieces.’
All the silver and gold used in WALD’s jewellery is recycled too.
Mathe
Kiwi Necklace, €60, Mathe – buy now
With multi-coloured shells, beaded necklaces and pearl earrings, Mathe’s jewellery is the perfect balance of being both colourful and wearable.
Founder and designer Mathe Fotini started selling her designs on Instagram and quickly saw success, leading her to quit her job and work full-time on her sweet jewellery.
Despite the brand’s growth, each piece still has a personal touch. Fotini handmakes all the jewellery alongside her sister from Greece, so each has passed through their hands.
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