Cufflinks: how did they evolve?

Cufflinks are an elegant addition to a formal outfit for both men and women, and add a touch of sophisticated formality to a designer French Cuffs shirt. Cufflinks are available in a number of different styles and designs, including the swivel post, chain linked, come apart, buttons, flats and snappers – but this is a far cry from the first cufflinks ever used hundreds of years ago. Although there is evidence to suggest that cufflinks were used by royalty in ancient Egypt and early Renaissance periods, the first formally documented cufflinks are mentioned in the late eighteenth century. This was just the beginning of the history of cufflinks.

Men typically fastened their shirt sleeves with a simple or primitive ‘button’ made from a variety of common materials such as bone or wood. Other variations on this included a ribbon tie whereby two pieces of ribbon were attached to either side of the shirt sleeve which were then tied together to fasten them closed. The more sophisticated nobility began to do away with this custom and replace their ribbon ties with intricately wrought gold chains that featured a gold button on either end of the chain – and so the first documented cufflinks were born and began the high fashion craze that has only become stronger and more evolved since then.

Although typically reserved for the upper class fashion connoisseurs, the popularity of cufflinks began to spread down to the most powerful businessmen with the industrial revolution and the invention of a steam driven stamping machine. The advancement of metallurgy was in full swing at this time too, so expert metal workers could utilize the mechanical advancement of stamping machines to produce delicately crafted beautiful cufflinks which had all of the hallmarks of fine fashion and top quality metals like gold and silver. This ‘mass’ production of cufflinks made them more accessible to those who could afford their costly manufacture process and high quality metals.

The advancement of industrial technology has seen a number of improvements on the manufacture of cufflinks, and enables designers to incorporate hand finished touches which make each pair of cufflinks totally unique. The obvious public approval of cufflinks has lead to the inclusion of these fine fashion accessories in all of the leading men’s fashion boutiques across the globe, and has secured their domination of the fashion accessory industry. Nowadays, stores have even started carrying cufflinks for women! So next time you put on your own pair of ultra stylish cufflinks, give a thought to the hundreds of years of development that went into the development of the world’s best loved fashion accessory!