The Alhambra collection by Van Cleef & Arpels has experienced a resurgence in popularity, captivating a diverse range of admirers from celebrities and influencers to royalty and everyday consumers.
When Van Cleef & Arpels first launched Alhambra – its discreet yet instantly recognisable line of jewels – in the 1960s, it appealed to a new, younger customer base who wanted accessibly priced yet high-end goods. It was jewellery’s answer to prêt-à-porter, as democratic as Rive Gauche at Yves Saint Laurent, and fed a seemingly insatiable consumer appetite for fine bijoux, especially for women, newly armed with their own incomes, who wanted to buy for themselves.
After nearly six decades of ebbing and flowing in popularity, Alhambra has blossomed once again, garnering a wide-ranging fan base. Wherever you turn, the four-leaf clover motif (prices start at £1,300) hangs from necks, wraps around wrists and dangles off earlobes both young and old. Rappers including Central Cee and Offset wear stacks of Alhambra bracelets, while Drake namechecks the brand in his songs. TikTok influencers discuss at length which iteration – from malachite to mother-of-pearl – is their favourite. The Princess of Wales wears Alhambra on the red carpet, as does Queen Camilla; England footballers’ wives and girlfriends wear them on the terraces. The renewed success of Alhambra, and Van Cleef & Arpels, has helped to buoy parent company Richemont, whose jewellery category was up four per cent (at constant exchange rates) in the past quarter amidst a broader luxury downturn. The company doesn’t reveal earnings for individual houses within its stable, yet Erwan Rambourg, global head of consumer and retail equity research at HSBC, says his company estimates the brand’s sales at around $4bn. “Given the environment we’re in, it’s a pretty incredible feat to be able to grow at all in luxury. And of that four per cent, we work out that is probably somewhere in the low-to-mid teens for Van Cleef,” he says, adding that the brand is “clearly gaining significant share internally within the group but also relative to peers”. Much of the appeal of Alhambra lies in its amulet-like design
JEWELRY LUXURY BRANDS ALHAMBRA VAN CLEEF & ARPELS CONSUMER TRENDS
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