Sweatshirts, sneakers, necklaces: Smiley lives his return to the future in summer

Smiley, the yellow smiley emoticon that went viral as a hippie symbol in the 70s, which in the 80s was synonymous with electronic music and in the 90s an icon of rave culture, returns this season with the intention of giving you a bit of color and joy to life and inject optimism into a society hit by the pandemic.

After decades of glory in 2000 Smiley had saturated the market, what is called dying of success, but with the digital age it became the first emoji in history and today the company bills about 500 million annual dollars.

Today it is known simply as the global symbol of happiness and has been embraced by younger generations as a way of expressing their differences from previous generations, their need for joy and their discontent with today's society . Exactly the same as it happened in the 1970s.

Collaborations with the company Smiley have multiplied since the arrival of the pandemic and firms such as Mocler, Adidas, Zara or Pull & Bear (who will put a new collection on sale on the 11th of this month with the emoji as the protagonist) have not missed the opportunity to create collections with the happiest emoticon on the planet.

The big fashion and clothing companies have only been the beginning of history, the real push to recover this symbol of rebellion is in the accessories because Smiley has become the star of the hangers for the mobile, chains for glasses or masks, key chains, rings, bracelets, anklets, earrings and necklaces.

It is the small companies, many of them sole proprietorships, that have once again elevated Smiley to the category of icon, firms in which color and craftsmanship are the two recurring watchwords. Fun accessory brands like Mermaid, Shiny Totem, Gummy Pieces, La Victoria or Funcky & Funcy, have found in the Smiley face the essential and omnipresent resource of their most coveted pieces.

These are small firms that have emerged as a response to a pandemic that has changed the customs and hobbies of almost everyone, in fact, while a part of the population began to experiment in the kitchen, the another half began to make costume jewelery with colored beads.

Business or simple entertainment, bead sales companies are the ones that have benefited from this boom in DIY jewelry. Specialized stores such as Nicolis Group, A Tu Bola, Panda Hall or Wholesaler in Beads, have noticed the rise of this hobby for creating accessories at home.

The basic kit depends on what piece you are creating. In general, you need silk, metallic or elastic thread; a suitable tool for cutting, which will be scissors or pliers; trimmings for closing and the beads that you like the most, although if you want to follow the trends there are two that you cannot miss: letters to form your name and Smiley smiley faces.

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