What do you think of when you hear the name “Tiffany and Co.”? Breakfast at Tiffany’s? The Fifth Avenue Flagship store in New York City? Or maybe their signature blue tone, infamously named ‘Tiffany Blue’? Surely at least one of these came to mind, but no one would associate the New York City skate brand Supreme.
Earlier this week Tiffany’s announced a collaboration with Supreme. Presenting a roll out of Supreme x Tiffany’s charm bracelets and necklaces, minimalist keychains and pocket knives, as well as trendy pearl pendant necklaces.
Since the debut, the internet collective has been in an uproar over the collection. However there is a lot to unpack from the debut, and I believe that we should have anticipated this collaboration years prior.
In 2021, LVMH completed its $16.2 billion dollar acquisition of Tiffany & Co (lvmh.com). LVMH owns a variety of luxury brands such as Dior, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Now, it isn’t quite outlandish that LVMH has pushed a rebranding of Tiffany & Co. Tiffany’s stock has been stagnant and dipped heavily during the global pandemic.
Beginning with the “Not Your Mother’s Tiffany” campaign in July of 2021, LVMH has made it very clear that distancing itself from the stuffy Upper East Side culture of New York City is essential to their youthful rebrand, directly turning away from its top clientele– older, upper class women. Following the debut of “Not Your Mother’s Tiffany” Tiffany & Co issued the new face of their brand, Beyonce and Jay-Z, with a campaign video and photoshoot.
In the campaign shoot, Beyonce is wearing the Tiffany Yellow Diamond, being the fourth person to ever wear the diamond. The campaign featuring the Carters is fresh, on-trend, and introduces luxury while sticking to their classic and expensive roots.
Additionally, fashion has been seeing a huge revival of Y2K fashion. During the 2000s Tiffany & Co went through a period of rebranding, which gave birth to the iconic “Please Return to Tiffany & Co” charm bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Inspired by the original release of the “Please Return to Tiffany & Co” slogan in the 1960s. The chunky silver bangles were representative of the fashion that was trendy and popular with celebrities during the early 2000s, and Tiffany’s took their spin on those designs while incorporating their infamous 1960s slogan.
Prior to the “Please Return to Tiffany & Co '' collection in the early 2000s, Tiffany's was known for engagement rings, wedding bands and high-luxury jewelry and was mostly attainable for the upper-class.
After the release of the “Please Return to Tiffany & Co” rival, Tiffany & Co was successful in being able to make a cheaper and attainable collection that was still trendy and luxurious enough for celebrities to be seen wearing their pieces, thus creating a demand for the “Please Return to Tiffany & Co” collection.
Due to the Y2K revival, Tiffany & Co had the potential to usher in a new era of clientele that were clinging to the old designs of the early 2000s, and the Supreme collection gives us exactly that.
The Tiffany & Co x Supreme collection mixes old nostalgia with the DIY trends that we are seeing now. Instead of the classic “Please Return to Tiffany & Co '' pendant, the collaboration rephrases the iconic slogan with “Please Return to Supreme ''. The collection also borrows from the iconic Vivenne Westwood orb pearl necklace that went viral earlier in 2019, except Tiffany & Co replaced the orb with a dog tag. The collection is being marketed as a unisex line, another trendy rebranding move done by other companies as well to specifically target progessive Gen-Z.
As the “Hype Beast” culture continues to grow, collaborations with streetwear brands have become less
uncommon. A fellow LVMH owned brand Louis Vuitton collaborated with Supreme in late 2017. Although the collection also received tons of backlash, it was the revival Louis Vuitton needed within its younger clientele as the collaboration saw a huge resell market.
Overall, the Tiffany & Co x Supreme collaboration is right on the pulse of youth culture. The brand is reviving its trendy designs, collaborating with a youthful and popular streetwear brand, creating unisex pieces, and making the face of their rebrand one of this generation's most powerful and famous couples– The Carters. I see Tiffany’s making trendy, attainable jewelry the frontline of their branding, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they began to make sustainability a focus as well. The future of Tiffany’s shines bright– just like their diamonds.
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