Men being more confident and open to expressing their individual style with jewellery beyond watches and wedding bands is fuelling a revival of interest in the category in global travel retail (GTR), according to Tateossian London.

The British contemporary jewellery and accessories brand is being approached by travel retail buyers interested in building out their offering, due to the rise in demand for quality items.

“The consumer has evolved in the sense that they are a lot more confident wearing jewellery than they were 10 years ago,” the company’s Founder Robert Tateossian told TRBusiness at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes

“The audience is a lot bigger and a lot more international too,” he added, noting a rise in interest among Chinese and American men especially.

“They have become a lot more open to wearing jewellery and it goes all the way to gender fluid jewellery, such as the pearl trend with Harry Styles.

“We do sell that and it’s an indication of how the market has evolved.”

Tateossian was established in 1990. At the time, cufflinks were its main business.

Since then, stacking bracelets have become a key trend – something that Tateossian caters to exceptionally well with its variety and designs and materials.

“Gradations of the colour is the best way of doing your stack,” advised Tateossian. “I tend to avoid mixing colours.

“We always try to source stones that are a little bit different, from black obsidian to spiderweb jasper.”

More trends on the radar since Covid include talismanic jewellery.

“People are seeking an element of safety and protection, which is why I put the hand painted evil eye on the beads,” said Tateossian.

The company’s recent Coronation collection, to mark the coronation of King Charles, featuring royal symbols such as the English flag, the Tudor rose and the crown, has been a highlight while stud sets continue to be a strong performer.

“Our four top sellers through Neiman Marcus each week are always stud sets,” said Tateossian.

“There are all these weddings that didn’t take place during the pandemic and now people are wearing them for that.”

The cufflinks, of course, are still wildly popular, with their distinctive gears and mechanics.

The new gear cufflinks, in the shape of an eternity knot, which serve to incorporate a meaningful element of longevity and good luck, are proving popular.

“I am always trying to look at elements of nature and things that are unusual,” said Tateossian. Think geodes, upcycled skeleton movements from watches soured from Ukraine, and slices of ruby with rock crystal on top for extra sparkle and shine.

In the Middle East, the brand’s worry beads with matching cufflinks are a key seller.

On the domestic market, the average price point is £400-600. However, there is a capsule collection for GTR which hovers around a more accessible £150-200.

“In GTR, there is much more of a sensitivity of price, so we create sets featuring leather and beads to give that special price point.”

Tateossian is currently present in 40countries with its main market being the US, where it sells through major department stores.

“China has also been very good, especially with Tmall and, of course, in the UK where we have three shops.

“In the Middle East, and specifically in Dubai, we sell online with Ounass as well as with Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s – these are very good accounts for us and we have been working with them for many years.”

The brand recently opened a counter with Aer Rianta at Abu Dhabi Airport’s new Terminal A.

Add to that a counter with Chalhoub Group at Jeddah Airport and the footprint is certainly growing.

“We are continuing with inflight listings too,” he added.

“A lot of airlines stopped retailing inflight during Covid but a few kept it and so we have continued.

“Plus, a few airlines have come back to us wanting to add men’s jewellery – there’s quite a lot of enthusiasm and requests for men’s products.”

Emirates and Saudia are among its current clients in the air.

Looking to 2024, a high-profile collaboration with Lamborghini is set to launch, featuring carbon fibre and “edgy”, race car inspired elements.

“I would love to have a presence in the key airports around the world,” summarised Tateossian.

“Of course, China is a big market and hopefully we will open up some counters there.

“We don’t need a lot of space – that’s the nice thing. One metre by 50 cm gives us a lot of area to manoeuvre with.”