New York – The retail space is re-inventing ear piercing services for a new generation of teenagers.
Based in New York’s Nolita district, Studs was conceptualised after co-founder Anna Harman found piercing services in tattoo parlours didn’t fit in with today’s consumer tastes and expectations. As a result, Studs occupies the gap between mall brands, tattoo parlours and luxury studios.
To ensure a comfortable experience, Studs’ piercings are done in private rooms with a needle rather than a gun. Its selection of jewellery includes Earscapes, personalised combinations of earrings that can be mixed-and-matched to create unique looks, which are priced accessibly to appeal to Generation Z.
‘We tried to envision: what does today’s late teen to early 20-year-old want, so we did a lot of playing with light, materials and colours in a way that we wanted to feel fresh, but also a place that felt zen and spa-like, appropriate for what is effectively a small medical procedure,’ Harman tells Adweek.
As Generation Z approach beauty with the end goal of self-expression, not perfection, piercings offer a way to achieve this.