The bracelet, a new favorite accessory for men

Public figures wear them proudly. It can be seen paired with a watch, or alone on the wrist. The bracelet is in vogue among men. The jewel has even become “mainstream”, according to stylist Patricia Trépanier.

Brad Pitt may be the king. He has often been seen with a layering of bracelets as much to accessorize a looks casual than for a movie premiere outfit. Timothée Chalamet, a fan of jewelry, also wears it often. Prince Harry, meanwhile, has been wearing bracelets since he was a teenager. King Charles III even joined the club by showing off a bracelet in his first portrait.

“The bracelet is a way to express yourself, to show your style and personality,” says men’s stylist Patricia Trépanier. According to her, the jewel accompanies the tendency of the relaxation of the style and the looks more relaxed.

In a recent article, the newspaper The Guardian even spoke of the “bro-celet”, a bracelet adopted by both bankers and tech workers, and which is intended to signify a less conformist approach to work and life.

For those who want to adopt it, Patricia Trépanier invites you to mix materials, such as leather, metal or marbles. His advice: stack a maximum of three and stick to one or two if you want to wear them on the same wrist as a watch.

More choice

Recently, stores have offered more choices of bracelets for men, noted Patricia Trépanier, who had difficulty finding them before. His clientele, often in their forties, wants to adopt the trend. “It’s a questioning for many of my clients, especially since they don’t have a lot of choice in accessories. »

Frédérick Robichaud and Jérémy Dumont sniffed out the deal shortly after launching their watch business. For three years, their company FJ – which offers a minimalist aesthetic – has offered several bracelets for men, as well as necklaces and rings. “The wristband is our second most popular product,” points out Frédérick Robichaud.

“Guys don’t know where to start [en matière de bijoux]. The bracelet is a good master key, “explains the former candidate ofDouble occupation and future animator.

In the portrait of King Charles III, we can see a braided bracelet on the wrist of the monarch alongside a watch. The jewel, offered by the elder of the Achuar nation of the Ecuadorian Amazon, is a symbol of his involvement in the environment.

A discreet but assumed jewel

“Of course, it’s discreet, but at the same time, we advise men to roll up their sleeves to see the bracelet,” says Philippe Denis, lecturer at the ESG UQAM School of Fashion. So the message is to assume that you wear it, to assume the fact of superimposing them, of playing with styles and materials. »

According to Philippe Denis, the trend is part of a broader phenomenon of the decompartmentalization of gendered clothing. “To play with the codes and to break them, that allowed this return of the jewel for men and, in particular, of the bracelet”, he explains.

“We play with the border between what is masculine and feminine,” says the lecturer. For example, there are pearl bracelets for men that are advertised as borrowable by their better half.

The jewelry offered by the FJ company can be unisex, explains co-founder Frédérick Robichaud, who believes that the craze for men’s jewelry is just beginning. “It changes a style. It’s also a way of taking care of yourself,” he pleads.

“When we have strong models who start wearing it, especially men whose virility we don’t question, the population will appropriate it and it will enter the collective imagination”, believes Philippe Denis. David Beckham, Ryan Reynolds, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zayn Malik and Shawn Mendes are also part of the long list of bracelet enthusiasts.

Patricia Trépanier also believes that the population is more and more accustomed to this trend that can be seen “in films, series and on social networks”, she specifies.

And the bracelet is perhaps only one step in the reinvention of gender codes, believes Philippe Denis.