Ahead of his coronation next month, this week saw the release of the first portrait of King Charles to be released since the start of his reign.
In the painting, the king is wearing his signature blue pinstripe suit, mauve pocket square neatly placed as he smizes into the distance. So far, so standard. Look closely though and you’ll spot something unexpected for the monarch: just below his watch sits a black braided bracelet featuring a gold trim and red beads.
This Indigenous bracelet was presented to him in February during a meeting with Domingo Peas, the leader of the Ecuadorian Amazon’s Achuar community. Peas was invited to meet King Charles at an event to discuss the implementation of global biodiversity plans devised by the United Nations.
The artist, Alastair Barford, is said to have included the bracelet to add “context and authenticity” and to symbolise Charles’s “advocacy on climate change and sustainability.”
But in choosing to depict the bracelet in the portrait, the royal is also reflecting a wider menswear trend. From A-listers to Apprentice candidates, stacks of beaded and braided bracelets strung around wrists have become a new, subtle social signifier.
For Charles this means his role as an environmentalist king. He has been highlighting the benefits of biodiversity since the 1970s, so it makes sense he’d wear a bracelet that symbolises this cause. His bracelet-wearing is a way of trying to align himself with fellow eco warriors, while adhering to royal protocol in a shirt and tie.
It’s also a way of campaigning without overtly campaigning. When he first acceded the throne it was reported that Charles would have to reduce his public championing of eco issues. The bracelet allows him to state an opinion without uttering a word.
While his signet ring symbolises tradition, these “bro-celets” hint at an attempt to a less conformist approach to life. One on level, it’s very “gap yah”, something that says “yeah I’ve spent some time finding myself in Thailand” similar to the way Succession’s Kendall Roy advises his siblings to “be water”.
However, instead of being bought after a visit to a sacred temple, men are buying them from designer boutiques and independent online stores and wearing them in the city, to work, to the gym, to the pub. Where the bro goes, the bro-celet follows. They are particularly beloved by both bankers in boardrooms and tech bros in Silicon Valley who see a bro-celet as a wily power move, stacking them next to an Apple watch.
It’s a similar flex made by those in the public eye. Prince Harry, David Beckham, Harry Styles, Timothée Chalamet and Brad Pitt are all part of the bro-celet cohort, all fans of this subtle hint at rebellion that can be easily disguised under a sleeve when needed. Many of these bracelets have a philanthropic connection too, that chime well with their wearers who prefer to skirt around social issues surrounding capitalism. The billionaire Jeff Bezos has been pictured in the triple warrior wrap, for example, from Giving Bracelets which supports children’s charities. Unlike festival wristbands which are often left to fester all summer long, the bro-celet is a well thought out accessory.
“It is a very carefully planned purchase,” says Robert Tateossian, managing director of Tateossian, which specialises in leather, macrame and beaded designs. Tateossian says its customers range from 18 to 80. “They are not coming in because they see a piece featured on a billboard or in a magazine. They are more on a discovery journey”, says Tateossian. “Some men spend over two hours in my store reviewing with the sales person the most appropriate bracelet to buy or the best stack to build.”
While some may think this type of casual bracelet would clash with a more formal suit such as the one worn by King Charles, the high-low mix is all part of the appeal.
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