Story by Tahirah Hairston / Photography by Jack Junk / Grooming by Aika Flores

GOOGLE and PAPER came together to highlight the SMALL BUSINESSES that are LEADING the BIGGEST TRENDS of the summer based on Google’s trending search data.

As algorithms attempt to push for more monotony in the way we think and present ourselves, getting a little weird and standing out is our only resolve. The time is ripe for experimenting with your personal style. Perhaps as a reflection of the barrage of bad news that arrives in an endless stream via various social media apps, many are now thinking of the way they present themselves to the world as both a source of comfort and an act of rebellion. It’s not surprising that a playfully chaotic aesthetic, filled with bold color and biomorphic shapes that mirror the variety of influences and references that one comes across daily while scrolling our social media, has been embraced by a slew of independent accessories designers. Designers are rejecting tradition and embracing modernity, channeling an irreverent spirit that is a fitting antidote to our current state.

That remix approach is evident in the jewelry by the Paris-based label D’Heygere. One of their popular designs this season features a ton of little dangly earrings strung together on chunky chain in order to make up a pair of sort UR-earrings. (An earring made out of earrings is very DADA!) Meanwhile, at Panconesi, Marco Panconesi’s signature abstract shapes highlighted by pops of color often resemble otherworldly cybercreatures with an air of playfulness. One of Brooklyn designer Bernard James’ signature pieces is a pendant frame that allows the wearer’s chest to become the necklace’s focus. Julia Lang’s unisex brand Veert employs traditional jewelry materials like freshwater pearls and semi-precious gemstones, but her penchant for incorporating a specific green hue adds a subversive nod to early computers, slime and even extraterrestrial beings.

Y2K was an early breeding ground for this aesthetic, so it’s not surprising to see other aspects of this era mixed in as well; the fruity colors of trendy matching velour sweatsuits, the glossy pinks of lip gloss tubes, the calming effect of teen heartthrobs walking the red carpet in matching denim looks. It was a time where a certain level of bad taste was celebrated. Cristina Mantilla and Duda Teixeira’s label Eliou mixes pearls with enameled charms to create pieces with a certain DIY-candy raver appeal; and brands like Roussey and La Manso’s bring together the best jewelry a favorite princess doll may have worn with the haze of a psychedelic trip. For those who were too young to rave, but enjoyed getting lost in the images of their PC desktop MP3 visualizer, Lorette Colé Duprat’s metal and acrylic knots will feel oddly familiar. As Millennials and Gen Z-ers grow up and continue to fight against the notions of respectability, freedom and identity, they are reclaiming some of the marginalized aesthetics from years past. The era of gatekeeping taste is over.

VP Production, Talent: Katie Karole / Digital Director, Talent: Justin Moran / Art, Fashion Director: Malcolm Mammone / Executive Creative Director: Jordan Bradfield / Managing Editor (SBLBT): Laia Garcia-Furtado / Managing Editor (PAPER): Eliza Weinreb / Photographer: Jack Junk / Hair: Aika Flores / Casting: Rebel Casting / Models: Swann Bordeau, Liddon Ling, Christian Cota, Walee Khan / Market Editor: Suea Cho, Abby Bencie / Partnerships: Caitlin Sharp, Bonnie Monk / Web Design: Composite