When you think cufflinks, you don’t exactly think of an exciting history of men’s fashion, but securing the ends of two sleeves has been a long-time fashion for both men and women. The first written mention of cufflinks, as we know them today, was in 1788. Prior to this, cuff “strings” were the only means of ensuring your sleeves were properly fastened. In the 19th century, with the advancement of steam-driven machines, the trend of cufflinks was born. They soon became popular fashion alongside the French cuff, which remains in men’s fashion today. In the 1880′s, George Krementz developed a machine that could produce one-piece cufflinks. Businesses across America were soon picking up on the ever-growing trend and were commissioning cufflinks for advertising and gift-incentives. During the 1920s, enamel cufflinks were popular, but by the 1930s low-cost of plastics led to the decline of enamel cufflink production, making them a collectors item today. The use of cufflinks peaked in the 1960s when a company by the name of Swank Inc. had around 12 million a year in sales. It is said that you can trace every significant art movement through cufflink design. This is especially true for the 1920s when cufflinks reflected the art of that particular period. If you can’t get enough cufflinks and want to explore it’s history even further, the Cufflink Museum in Conway, New Hampshire might be worth checking out. They yield a collection of over 70,000 pairs! Today cufflinks are a simple way for a man to express ones class and creativity. Cufflinks come in many shapes, sizes, and price ranges. Lately, we’ve been seeing personalized cufflinks on both our grooms and groomsmen alike. Check out a few really interesting ones our grooms have been sporting lately.. Continue reading
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