The less we saw them, the more we wore them, and the better we felt. Today, they are more visible than ever: they have gone beyond their simple technological utility to take on a more fashionable, more aesthetic aspect. Some fashion houses have even imagined their own upgraded version. The time when they were despised is long gone…
Fashion is an eternal restart: what was hated yesterday becomes popular the next day. If these technological devices had become discreet, almost transparent in recent years, they are back today more flashy than ever. Tech brands had made them disappear from our field of vision; relieving them of their wires, giving them a minimal look: they slipped into our ears without others even realizing it.
Turnaround in 2024: they are making a remarkable comeback. Who is responsible for this resurgence? The model Bella Hadid who wore them in 2019, the plethora of celebrities who subsequently adopted them, the return (already over) of the Y2k trend, and some famous fashion houses, including Dior and Chanel. Thus, the label imagined by the iconic Coco has made a rather daring creative proposal for wired headphones usually limited to their usefulness. At the beginning of September, the “First Sound“a highly desirable Fashion item that transforms these headphones from our past into an ultra-sophisticated necklace watch.
Seen around the neck of Lily-Rose Depp or Lana Del Rey, it takes up the codes of the house founded on Rue Cambon: the chain made of 18 carat yellow gold and black leather resembles the shoulder strap of quilted bags, the octagonal dial of the watch recalls the cap of N°5 perfume.
Two earphones elegantly stand out from the sautoir necklace, stamped with the logo with the two intertwined “Cs”. You can read the time, listen to music, make phone calls, for the modest sum of… 14,800 euros. A justified stratospheric price – Made in Switzerland design please – which is reminiscent of the codes of fine jewelry and watchmaking.
But this synergy between Fashion and Technology is not new: headphones, Bluetooth or wired earphones have always been able to please people in the Fashion Sphere. In 2012, the label Beats by Dre reigned supreme with his 64% market share claimed*: his helmet was screwed onto the skulls of all the celebrities of the moment (Jay-Z, Lady Gaga).
Dolce and Gabbana and other big names in ready-to-wear couture have been quick to invest in the segment, offering models whose polished aesthetics elevate them to the rank of fashion accessories. Under the label of the houses, these audio equipment devices are transformed into a “fashion statement” by which one proudly displays one’s style.
The AirPods Max fromApple launched in 2020, as well as their countless customizations, then confirm the trendy status of the electronic device. But if the audio accessory had managed to extract itself from its “initial tech condition” to rise to the rank of Fashion accessory, it had never yet freed itself from its original form. With Première Sound, its lines and contours are completely redesigned.
More than just a helmet on which you can add all kinds of decorations and customizations, it becomes THE piece of jewelry in its own right: the necklace watch that you wear around your neck, the earring that you place on your ear like a piece of jewelry.
It is no longer aesthetics that are at the service of technology, but rather the technological function that becomes the accessory of aesthetics.
Thus, by investing in the upper echelons of watchmaking and jewelry, the audio accessory transcends the simple fashion statement to become a true symbol of social status. Rolex And Patek Philippe have to watch out!