The Legend of Cartier: One of Hip-Hop's Favorite Jewelry Brands
Hip-hop and jewelry go hand in hand.
The relationship dates back to the eighties when hustlers wore everything from Rolexs to Cuban link chains. It’s never been about flexing (aight, maybe a little bit), but it’s also a sport. A culture. A community.
Over the past few decades, a few brands have risen to the top in popularity. One of the most iconic, and one that’s experiencing a surge in popularity right now, just so happens to be Cartier.
To date, Cartier is one of the most respected jewelry brands out there, appearing on Forbes list of most valuable brands in 2020 with a reported value of over $12 billion.
If you’re no stranger to hip-hop, you’ve heard Cartier referenced multiple times by rappers. I’d venture to say that rap is the reason for the resurgence.
Don’t believe me?
Look at google trends for the word Cartier over the past several years.
What you’ll see is that aside from the occasional spikes in popularity around Christmas, the overall search volume is slowly trending upward around 2021:
YouTube searches for the brand also began trending upwards in that same period:
Are these upward trends coincidental?
NOPE.
Cartier is experiencing the “hip-hop” effect — their popularity is the by-product of rap helping them reach audiences that their messaging usually can’t reach. As a result, more people are searching for the brand, and awareness/consideration is increasing
Y’all know what happens from here. Let’s get into the why, the how, and where Cartier is today.
Cartier was founded by…
Louis-François Cartier in France back in 1847 when he was 28 years old. After years of apprenticing under Adolphe Picard, he took over the jewelry shop and revamped it under his name.
Louis’ store was pretty successful. But its transformational growth can be traced to 1870 when the revolutionary war in Paris (The Paris Commune) happened. That war ultimately led to the citizens overthrowing the French government.
By then, his son Alfred had joined the family business, and as luck would have it, French aristocrats couldn't access their bank accounts because of the revolution. The only assets they had left were jewelry.
The Cartier family saw an opportunity to help (or really finesse) the aristocrats out of their precious jewels, and by the 1900s they became THE jewelry brand in France.
After that, Alfred had taken over full-time and his 3 sons became a part of the family business. The sons left France to help expand the brand in London, and United States. All of which brings us to…
The 1980s
As with many of culturally iconic brands, Cartier became a favorite amongst hustlers and players.
And although the founder of Cartier passed decades prior, his grandsons strategically opened stores — one of which being the flagship store in New York.
And just hours away from New York Cartier made its way to a city that would change its lore forever…
Detroit, Michigan
Cartier’s relationship with Detroit dates back decades, and it’s the reason why it’s resurging today.
According to the Metro Times, Cartier first made its splash in Detroit 1969 via Dr. Herman Bennett who opened the one of the first Cartier stores in Michigan called Au Courant.
Around the same time of Au Courant’s opening, the Detroit riots led to White Flight and White families leaving the motor city in masse.
Ultimately that made room for Black families to start moving in. On the heels of that, Detroit workers started to develop a liking for Cartier shades.
And just like that, Detroit became the city of Cartier.
Although the Motor City often gets overlooked in the conversations around culture these days, its influence can’t be overstated.
In fact, Detroit’s impact on the Cartier brand is so massive that Cartier sent out a letter to the city (by way of Detroit rapper Payroll Giovanni) that gave him an exclusive look at their Fall/Winter collection, and a pair of coveted glasses as a token of their appreciation.
Speaking of Cartier Glasses…
Just like with jewelry, a huge part of hip-hop culture is being fashionable. And as many of us know, fashion differs by region.
Think about it.
If I mention New York, you might think of brands like Timberland, starter jackets from Avirex, Pelle Pelle, etc.
If we’re talking about Atlanta you might think about Air Force Ones. If the conversation is about New Orleans you’d think of Reebok Soldiers, etc.
When it comes to detroit you think about one thing:
Cartier Frames
The world might be in love with Cartier diamonds but Detroit fell for the frames.
A few types became popular in the city, and according to a video from Vintage Julz these are the most prominent.
Wires: Classic frames that typically have wire or platinum on the sides
Woods: Currently out of production but one of Cartier’s rarest frames
Plastic: As the name denotes — high quality plastic frames
Buffs: The Cartier C Décor White Buffalo Horn frames (seen below) which became affectionately known as Buffs (or white sticks) throughout the city.
Detroit Gave Rise to The Buffs
The Buffs effectively transformed the city forever in both positive and negative ways.
If you do a little digging, you’ll see that (unfortunately) the popularity of Cartier is loosely attributed to a rise in crime in Detroit in the early 2010s.
And, with many Cartier frames, specifically, The Buffs, retailing for over $2600, wearing a pair was dangerous, much like it was to wear starter jackets in NY around that same time.
90s groups like the StreetLordz were notorious for rocking Cartier and bringing the trend to the city. By the 2000s, other Detroit rappers, including Rich Ken and Blade Icewood, began rocking Cartier frames.
Ken even gave Cartier frames his stamp of approval with a classic Detroit record entitled “All White Buffies” (seen below).
Fast forward to today…
Detroit is again becoming an epicenter for hip-hop.
Because of that, Detroit rappers are now bringing brands back to the forefront and giving them new life with a wider (and sometimes, newer) audience.
Detroit artists like Gmac Cash have even created viral trends on TikTok with songs like Big Gretch — a record dedicated to Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer who kept the city safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Governor Whitmer even wore Buffs at one point (see below).
Popular rapper Kash Doll even gifted Big Sean a pair of Buffs as a token of appreciation — a piece of culture they share as Detroit Natives:
Indie filmmakers captured the seriousness of ‘Buffs’ in Detroit.
A classic movie in Detroit named “Buffed Up” is making its rounds on social media thanks to the resurgence of Detroit.
The movie itself covers the story of 3 friends who snatch a pair of “Buffs” from a local drug dealer. What ensued was hilarity. And although the movie is years old fans are finding it on Tubi and giving it another wave of attention.
The New Generation Caught Onto The Wave
And while Buffs are making their rounds in Detroit, their influence is spreading outside of detroit via Cartier watches.
As the shades were rising in popularity, a handful of fashionable rappers in the 2010s began visibly rocking Cartier. Because of them, the watches were starting to catch on including:
The Tank: One of the most iconic watches in Cartier’s line, it was even worn by people like Muhammad Ali & Princess Diana. These days you can see it on rappers like Gunna & Tyler. The Creator.
Courtesy of GQ The Santos: Another classic Cartier inspired by aviator Albert Santos-Dumont. It can be seen on the wrists of artists like Nas and even the late Pop Smoke who was a fan of Cartier (his signature frames were Cartier as well)
The Crash: Rumor has it that this design came to be after a Cartier watch melted in a car crash. These days you can see it on the wrists of artists like Jay-Z.
CARTIER IS ALSO DABBLING IN HIP-HOP PARTNERSHIPS….
Payroll Giovanni’s letter proved that Cartier is aware of rap’s affinity for its brand, and because of that, they decided to officially make their foray into hip-hop.
Their most recent partnership was with California’s very own Tyler The Creator. As part of the partnership, Tyler was able to create his own collection of Cartier watches including the iconic Cartier Tank, Santos, and Crash models (seen below).
What About Today?
Cartier is still a mainstay in culture, and as Detroit continues its run in hip-hop I suspect that the popularity of the brand will continue to grow.
Let me know if you got the plug on some Buffs at a decent price. Summer’s on the way and I wanna be Buffed Up.
Peace.
the D forever and ever and ever
I love a fashion/hip-hop history moment! I didn’t know the background of Cartier but work in fashion & of course, for decades, have heard/seen rappers rocking their pieces. This was a great read. Thanks for sharing!