Catbird (jeweler)
Catbird is an American jeweler. It was founded in 2004 in Brooklyn, New York. It has influenced several trends in jewelry fashion. The brand is particularly popular among Millenials.
History[edit]
The brand was founded in 2004 by Rony Vardi in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood.[1] According to Women's Wear Daily it was "among the first fine jewelers to sell online".[2] In 2015 Le Bon Marché featured it in a Brooklyn-themed popup.[1] By 2024 it had storefronts in Los Angeles, Boston, Washington DC's Georgetown neighborhood, and three in New York City.[1][3]
Designs[edit]
The brand's designs are small, delicate, and dainty.[1] They include bracelets, necklaces, rings, charms, and earrings.[4] Designs are often intended to be stacked and layered with each other.[1][5]
The shops offer permanently welded-in-place custom bracelets, which they've offered since 2017 and are credited with inventing.[1][5][6][7] Permanent jewelry went viral in the early 2020s.[6][8]
The brand focuses on sourcing sustainably and avoiding conflict resources in its designs, using recycled diamonds and gold for almost all.[1][9][10]
Collaborations[edit]
The brand has collaborated with Phoebe Bridgers, Jenny Slate, Leith Clark, Sofia Coppola, Boygenious, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[11][4][12][13][14] Some limited edition collaborative pieces sold out within a day of release.[15]
Popularity and influence[edit]
According to the Washington Post, the brand has "been at the forefront of a number of jewelry trends over the past two decades, including a move to smaller, more delicate jewelry" than the larger, heavier pieces which had been popular in previous decades.[1] Refinery 29 said the brand deserves much of the credit for the fashion trend of layering multiple delicate rings, bracelets, and necklaces.[16] Women's Wear Daily credited it with creating a "fresh way" to stack rings.[2] Glamour said it had "almost single-handedly popularized stacking and knuckle rings".[17] Elle said the knuckle ring, also known as the midi ring, "all began" with Catbird.[18]
The brand is particularly popular among Millennials.[2] Taylor Swift[19] and Meghan Markle[20] have worn pieces, and Bridgers has said she wears no other jewelry.[21]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Tashjian, Rachel (10 February 2024). "Catbird zaps into D.C.: The Brooklyn-based jewelry store now has an outpost in Georgetown". Washington Post.
- ^ a b c Sidell, Misty White (2019-11-18). "How Catbird Became a De Facto Jeweler for Millennials". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Belgum, Deborah (2023-08-18). "Catbird Flies Across the Country to Open Its First West Coast Store". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ a b Babür-Winter, Oset (6 October 2023). "Catbird Just Launched the Best Piece of Beverage Jewelry I've Ever Seen". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ a b "NYC-Based Catbird Opens in Georgetown | Georgetown DC - Explore Georgetown in Washington, DC". Georgetown DC. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ a b Erb, Jordan Parker (16 August 2023). "I paid $144 to weld a permanent bracelet onto my wrist and one year later, it's still my favorite no-maintenance accessory". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Saguin, Jacqueline (2023-09-20). "What You Need to Know Before Committing to Permanent Jewelry". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Barkho, Gabriela (2023-08-16). "Modern Retail Vanguard: Sriya Karumanchi, Catbird". Modern Retail. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Dendinger, Emily (7 November 2023). "How Does Sofia Coppola Celebrate 25 Years of Sparkling Wine? With Custom Jewelry: The filmmaker partnered with Brooklyn-based jewelry brand Catbird to create wine charms". Wine Spectator.
- ^ Dwyer, Kate (5 November 2019). "From In-House Jewelers' Benches to Recycled Gems, Sustainable Business Practices Make Catbird Shine". Fortune. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Hicks, Katie (2 April 2024). "How Catbird designs its collaborations". Marketing Brew. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Cepeda, Genevieve (5 October 2023). "Catbird Launches Capsule Jewelry Collection with Sofia Coppola's Sofia Wines". People. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Tingley, Anna (2024-03-27). "Jenny Slate and Catbird Team Up on Jewelry Collection 'Inspired by Motherhood and Childhood Memories'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Tingley, Anna (2023-11-14). "Boygenius and Catbird Team Up on Jewelry Collection Inspired by Their Matching Tooth Tattoos". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Roby, India (2023-11-14). "The Boygenius Catbird Collection Broke the Internet". Nylon. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Lee, Jinnie. "We Tried On Catbird's Dainty Fine Jewelry At Its New Brooklyn "Emporium"". Refinery 29. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Ogunnaike, Niki (2013-09-25). "Just Jewelry: Behind the Scenes at Cult-Favorite Catbird's New York Studio". Glamour. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Hoff, Victoria Dawson (2014-07-28). "How to Ring Stack, from the Girls Who Know It Best". Elle. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Southwick, Hannah (2023-05-30). "Taylor Swift wears Phoebe Bridgers x Catbird necklace on Eras Tour". Page Six. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ Tingley, Anna (2022-04-18). "Where to Get Meghan Markle's Golden 'Kitten Mitten' Jewelry". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
- ^ "Phoebe Bridgers on Being a Former Jewelry Skeptic and Her Collaboration With Catbird". Vogue. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2024-05-12.