A new accessories customer has emerged, molded by the recession, fast fashion and Internet shopping. As a result, there is renewed focus by brands on costume jewelry, as well as lower-price handbags, eyewear and other products.
Accessories vendors and retailers attending the New York trade shows this month said conditions had compelled them to target costs, but not at the expense of quality and value.
Consumers “want bang for their buck,” jewelry designer Amrita Singh said. She has tried to deliver by boosting her costume jewelry line, which had been a small tangent to her fine jewelry collection. The costume jewelry is priced from $50 to $200 and sales have risen even as her volume in fine jewelry “dropped down a bit,” Singh said, citing the “mental and emotional level where people feel guilty buying fine jewelry.”
The evolution in buying has worked to the advantage of The Sak Group…
