One of the world's most popular designers and manufacturer of cufflinks are Swank Incorporated. They were incorporated in April 17, 1936. This particular corporation was attending 12 million dollars a year during the 1960s when cufflinks reached its peak and became popular along the male populace.
Swank Inc. was first among the companies to target the lowest end of the market. They retailed their cufflinks at $ 2.50 a pair and they were successful. Cufflinks waned in the next decades but they were never totally eliminated in the fashion scene. Nowadays, they are making a strong comeback with their gross sales steadily increasing and have been consistent in this trend for the past ten years. And as ever, the French cuff still continues to be the most prestigious and always preferred type of shirt by cufflinks wearer.
Tracing the history of cufflinks would make you realize that the most significant art movements have found its way in the different cufflinks produced during their era. One primary example of this is the art deco era of the 1920s and 1930s. These type of cufflinks are now collector's items that are being eaten after collectors as one of the most popular forms used to revolutionize the art industry.
The revival of the popularity of cufflinks during the previous years inspired the famous businessman, Claude Jeanloz, to launch the Cufflink Museum in Conway, New Hampshire during the latter part of the 1990s. Jeanloz received his first pair of cufflinks from his godmother, and started collecting since then. When he collected a huge number of cufflinks, that was when, he decided to establish the Cufflink Museum which features more than 70,000 pairs of cufflinks on display. To date, Jeanloz collection is still considered to be by far, the largest cufflinks collection in the whole world. The museum also features various cufflinks ads, photos and album covers that feature different celebrities wearing cufflinks like the Beatles and Bob Dylan.
Reading through the history of cufflinks, one would find a collection of rich and historical anecdotes involving significant people in history. The period of the 20s decade were typically referred to as Roaring 20s and was the height of the cufflinks invention. During this era, a lot of cufflink manufacturers produced a wide variety of devices and designs for one purpose: to make it easier for a man to insert and remove his cufflinks with the least difficulty and effort yet offering optimal security. With theseventions, people have enjoyed a wide variety of mechanisms in opening and closing their cufflinks. Some of these mechanisms include flip hinges, twist off or button through. There is also a complicated yet sophisticated mechanism called the wrap around cufflinks which is seriously making a big comeback.
Swank arrived at the right time. He took full advantage of the fact that cufflinks are not exclusive accessories for men anymore and made cufflinks more accessible to the common man. They were affordable yet quality was not sacrificed.