Put Your Name On It
Initials, first names and nicknames are suddenly doing their comeback and can be spotted embroidered on shirts, jackets, bodysuits and of course - jewelry
Necklaces spelling out one’s own birth name are worn by celebrities like the Hadid sisters and Miley Cyrus as well as featured on Instagram’s most followed accounts. High fashion names such as Dior and Chanel have embraced the ‘logo’ attitude as well and bold bracelets, chokers and earrings bearing the brands’ initials or names have adorned their last FW collections. According to a recent video published by The Guardian in early August, what may resonate as the familiar anecdote ‘The Carrie Necklace’ from the late 90’s New York based TV show has some deeper roots, dating back to the hip hop culture of the 70’s and 80’s. Bearing one’s name was, much life graffiti tagging, an ‘intentional need to assert oneself’. This trend that began in Harlem reached its full potential in Brooklyn, where specialised stores became the go to station for nameplates. It slowly trickled into mass culture when Hip hop started to become ‘consumable’ through shows such as the late 80’s Yo! MTV Raps. ‘The Carrie Necklace’ was in fact one of the pivotal moments that commercialised this item and places like Walmart began selling pre made name plate jewels with common names.
Nearly 20 years after the mass success of Carrie’s nameplate, brands such as the The M Jewelers, Bychari and Zoe Lev offer the possibility to customise your nameplate necklace, ring, or earring by picking out of many authentic styles and materials. Whether it is a matter of alluding to hip hop culture, wanting to cry out your name to the world or seeking for a deeply personalised item, there is no doubt that this trend is most probably here to stay.
