John Hardy, the fashion jewelry brand best known for its rich Balinese heritage, is ushering in the fall 2024 season with a tightly focused collection that prioritizes “everyday luxury,” different material offerings (primarily sterling silver, 14k gold, and two-tone styles), and a robust selection of men’s pieces.
Those were the takeaways from a sit-down JCK had with Jan-Patrick Schmitz, CEO of John Hardy, at the Luxury show in Las Vegas earlier this year.
“Over the last year and a half, two years, our creative chairman, Reed Krakoff, has reimagined many of our lines and has structured them in a very clear portfolio,” Schmitz told JCK.
“I think about Icon, the handwoven bracelets—that’s something which we are known for,” he said. “I think about Spear, which was inspired by the Icon, which is a very successful collection. I think about Love Knot, love being such an important topic for jewelry. And again, there is that link back to some of the historic designs in terms of the handwoven jewelry. And then we express this across our portfolio in different materials, in sterling silver and solid gold—14 karat, 18 karat—as well as precious stones.”
During our tour of the John Hardy ballroom in Las Vegas, the phrase “laid-back luxury” came up again and again. Schmitz placed that emphasis against our current socioeconomic backdrop.
“There are two trends we’re talking about here,” he said. “One is the macroeconomic environment, gold prices, really putting a lot of pressure on the industry. But then there are also consumer changes. If you think about the younger consumer, they look at jewelry differently than their parents. That laid-back luxury, this playfulness, the self-expression through jewelry which you can wear every day, that really resonates with the consumer. That’s why we see a lot of interest and a lot of love for our John Hardy brand.”
The fall 2024 line, introduced this month, is the tangible distillation of that ethos. It includes an expansion of the Spear collection with darkened silver and blue and black sapphires, and a new two-tone execution for the Love Knot collection, which was designed as two separately woven chains tied into a knot as a symbol of commitment.
Perhaps the most important and all-encompassing aspect of the brand’s fall focus, however, is that every collection includes an expanded assortment of men’s pieces.
“Men’s is really an important part of our strategy,” Schmitz said. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a lot of changes, right? Men got rid of their suits. Men got rid of their ties. And there’s much more acceptance of jewelry. Men also became more open, more playful—to colors, materials, sizes, bracelets, necklaces, rings. Jewelry, I think today, is part of the attire of so many men.”
It’s safe to say that John Hardy, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025, will be around to adorn them.
Top: Naga ring in silver with blue sapphire eyes, $695
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