2020 will be the year of pearls for men

In the future, 2020 will be known as a turning point. The world is changing, month after month, and one of the phenomena that has come to full maturity this year, especially in fashion, is that of new masculinity. In 2020 men can (and should) have a skin routine, can glaze their nails and wear jewelry – and according to Lyst's Virtual Window Shopping: Jewelry 2020 report, those jewels are mostly pearls. It's been a few years since the trend was launched, to tell the truth, moving slowly out of the LGBTQ+ world and making their way up to the neck of taste-makers like A$AP Rocky (who paired them with a lace shirt showing up at Dior's Pre-Fall 2019 two years ago), Pharrell Williams and Harry Styles. But the increase in online searches this year is unprecedented: men buying jewellery increased by 150%, keyworkd "men's pearls" increased by 17% compared to last year, those for "freshwater pearl anklet" by 67% and for pearl earrings by 25%.

It is a trend that, unlike streetwear, moves according to a trickle-down movement, which starts from celebrities and gradually infiltrates pop culture. Already during the last fashion weeks Gucci and Casablanca have used pearls as one of the basic accessories for men's looks. At the past Grammys there were many singers who wore pearls: Shawn Mendes remixed them into two outfits on the same night, the Jonas Brothers had them under the collar of the shirts both on the red carpet and on the park, Usher wore a maximalist version. But, along with A$AP Rocky, Harry Styles is the driving force behind the trend: the 31% research spike that took place in December for men's pearl necklaces came after Styles had worn pearls at the Brit Awards. As Theo van den Broeke writes on GQ:

«There’s something about pearls on the right kind of man that can look edgy and dangerous rather than twee and cutesy (though there’s nothing wrong with cutesy if that’s your vibe). Styles, with his rugged good looks, barely washed hair and armfuls of tattoos, for instance, is more than capable of carrying off a full string of pearls, just as A$AP Rocky, with his penchant for grills and aggro tailoring, can make a baroque necklace work with ease. It’s a matter of contrast.».