Are Brooches The New Luxury ‘Must Have’ For Men?

The art of brooch design goes back a long way, but there is no doubt that the role of the designer has changed somewhat. It isn’t just that there are now new material options, ranging from plastic at the bottom of the range to laser-cut jewels at the top, but also the simple fact that what was once mainly worn by women is increasingly a male choice.

A key question with fashion is always whether the market, especially the luxury end, will copy what the celebrities do. 

The jury is definitely out on this one, as it appears some categories of men are very much into brooches, while for others this is yet to happen.

For example, in March, the Oscars revealed a large number of male actors happy to put on brooches, or as the Evening Standard put it, ‘bro-brooches’. These included such stellar names as Cillian Murphy, who played the eponymous role in Oppenheimer, Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa, plus Matthew McConnaughey, Justin Timberlake and Robert Downey Jr.

Indeed, this seems to have accompanied a shift away from older fashions, such as ties. Vogue World noted that Leonardo di Caprio committed what may have been seen as a fashion faux pas when he sported a tux minus the bow tie in 1995. But now, this is the norm.

However, the world of celebrity is not just about film stars. These days, elite footballers are just as rich and famous. But you won’t find many wearing brooches.

Take Cristiano Ronaldo. Much of his fortune has been spent on bling. However, a feature on this by Something About Rocks showed plenty in the way of luxury watches by the likes of Rolex and Tourbillon, diamond encrusted earrings and necklaces, but no brooches.

True, you may see footballers sporting the odd lapel badge, but these are usually associated with a worthy cause, not fashion.

What can we conclude from this? That some kinds of luxury fashion are not for everyone? Certainly. But then, that discernment itself is as much a feature of luxury fashion as the price tag, craftmanship, or materials an item is made from.