The concept of “do-it-yourself” (“do it yourself”), a trend observed in recent years among adults, also appeals to teens, who are embarking on the design of handmade jewelry. Maurine, 14, makes pearl necklaces and bracelets for herself and her friends: “I go to Pinterest to find inspiration and then I do my own thing”, she says.
Used to doing manual work with her mother, the schoolgirl got down to it during the first confinement. Julie, 17, has already filled an entire chest with her creations: colorful pearl necklaces and pendants, for girls or boys.
“When I showed them to my girlfriends, they all said, ‘I want some!’ So, I made it for them, but also for my friends and my family, indicates the schoolgirl, fan of fashion. It’s a relaxing activity: you can do something else at the same time, listen to music, watch a series or just think. “
Fashion relaunched by designers
If the teenage craze for handmade jewelry is not new, this time the fashion seems to have been launched by the designers themselves. After the first confinement, the Italian house Bottega Veneta has indeed proposed a pearl necklace reproducing small daisies. “The kind of necklace that you learn to make at 8 years old but which costs around 1,200 €”, notes Saveria Mendella, doctoral student at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences.
Surprised by the approach, the young researcher went to check on the used sales site Vinted if people were taking the opportunity to sell vintage necklaces. But above all she found “Accounts of young girls who offered to make similar ones to measure”.
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The phenomenon seemed very revealing to him at the time: “These ultra-connected young people have understood the ironic codes that there are sometimes in fashion, she analyzes. Rather than being in pure criticism, they more or less integrate its functioning, which consists in taking the ordinary in order to make it extraordinary. “
In our opinion
That young people are playing with the marketing strategies of the fashion industry to reclaim what is part of the creative hobby is rather gratifying. Especially since this activity is inexpensive and oriented towards others. Creating jewelry with your own hands is a way of getting into the real world, even though you often look for inspiration on the screens.
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