GRILLZ ARE 4 THE GIRLIES

Once a symbol of status, clout and wealth, oral jewellery has become more of a fashion statement than anything else. Grillz also known as fronts & golds, are creatives’ favourite accessory from music artists to painters and designers. While often associated with men and hip hop, Vogue Hommes’ 1975 cover that featured Grace Jones with a top-and-bottom solid gold grill was an indication that grillz would become an important part of all manner of people’s personal style. 

Historically speaking, pinpointing the exact origins of grillz being worn for fashion is very difficult being that historians and archaeologists have found artefacts across different time periods and regions that might suggest that ancient civilizations wore grillz but some examples are easier to prove than others. In Italy, the Etruscans welded rings of gold to their teeth between 800 and 200 BC and the Mayans drilled holes in their teeth to decorate with jade between 500 and 1000 AD. In both instances historians have drawn connections between jade and gold symbolising class and wealth with wearing grillz made from the materials.

From a modern perspective, the more recent roots of grillz exist within the context of the growing popularity of the US rap and hip hop scenes during the ‘80s. Inspired by the gold teeth and fillings of Caribbean immigrant communities living in New York (the birthplace of hip hop), rappers like Just-Ice and Slick Rick were wearing grillz in music videos and in general. A huge pioneer of grillz culture in New York was Surinamese-American Eddie Plein who wanted an alternative to permanent gold tooth covers when he broke one of his teeth while visiting Surinam. Plein opened up a shop in Jamaica, Queens named Famous Eddie’s Gold Teeth and soon, upcoming rappers and their crews were becoming his most frequent customers. Since then Plein has been behind several iconic sets of grillz across music decades from Kool G Rap to Jay-Z to Kelis to A$AP Rocky. Later Plein would move to Atlanta, bringing grillz to the south and around the same time other jewellers like Johnny Dang and Paul Wall were broadening the horizons of the culture within US rap.

By the 2000s, grillz went hand in hand with hip hop and rap culture which had spread globally; however, aside from an audacious few iconic trailblazers, women’s participation in this movement was minimal.

In the UK, while grillz were not as popular as they were in the US from the  90s to late 2000s and were never more sought after than chains, the rise of drill suddenly saw grillz becoming more mainstream. 

DColour Jewellers is based out of Hatton Garden and made up of front men Alessandro & Daniel. With a combined over 10 years worth of knowledge, the duo has seen how grillz culture has cemented itself in the UK’s urban landscape and how it’s face is undergoing a shift. “When I came into grillz, I saw that there was a lot of ego battling in terms of who had the most diamonds in their teeth” Alessandro told me. Before recently, the industry’s male dominated clientele was more interested in flexing their wealth than anything else. 

Alessandro could see a growing desire to use grillz as a form of creative expression especially in conversation with women in his life, and in influential women who have been seen in imaginative custom sets. “I wanted to ensure that clients felt they could come to us with a creative idea and bring their imagination’s creation to life through jewellery”. 

Artists like Rihanna, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Cara Delevingne have all removed the concept of grillz from their masculine and rap-related origins to claim them as their own and have thus been part of a cohort of creative women who have inspired others.

Alessandro recalls a time to me when after making a set of grillz for his brother he offered his sister her own, to which she responded a stern ‘no’ because she felt grillz were too masculine and just for boys. Interestingly, in the present day, more and more women across industries and creative disciplines are turning to grillz as another outlet for self expression within their personal style. Unlike previously where grillz were used to express wealth, their newfound use is the same as practically any other fashion piece or accessory – they can be used by the wearer to fulfil the same needs as a pair of jeans, whether that be to boost their confidence, complete an outfit or cultural expression. 

“I think grillz are something that we’d always seen on men and naturally associated with masculinity but artists, models and all these women in the creative industry are wearing them and it’s so cool when women come along and make things feminine,” says designer and brand owner India. “Now it’s like you can wear them in a masculine way but still feel feminine”. 

For India, aside from being part of her personal accessory catalogue, grillz act as a facet of representing herself and her heritage. “I really wanted my grillz to mean something to me so I was hesitant to begin with but the grillz I got have my brand name in them. I’m also half Indian and my grandma would always have bangles and gold jewellery on so I feel like all this jewellery is me tapping into my Indian side.”

For rapper and actress Cristale, grillz have taken her on a journey of self-assurance. “2021 was when I got my first set of grillz and it changed my life because I wasn’t used to being on camera with my gap, so it always caught me off guard and I worried that my teeth looked crooked but once I incorporated grillz into my styleit changed how I felt about my teeth,” she says. “The grillz made me love my teeth more because of how confident I felt with them in and when I took them out, I still felt like that same person.”

The music phenom explains that (like India’s) her newest set of grillz has personal messages and meanings dotted throughout. There is a C which represents her name and who she is, a crown to remind her “heavy is the head that wears the crown” and that she has a larger purpose, a music note for her love of music and a heart because she’s a loving person who loves love. “Grillz have contributed to my identity for the past 3 years. They made me feel like the superstar that everyone was telling me that I was. When I’ve customised and personalised them and I’m among screaming, adoring people, I’ve got this joy in my mouth because it was partially designed by me and I had a part in it.”

As women assert themselves as a consumer for grillz, other women begin to insert themselves in the industry from an entrepreneurial standpoint. Jewellers like Helen Nichole Harris, Dolly Cohen and Gabby Elan have designed some of the most notable celebrity grillz but in the UK as the demand for oral accessories has grown, artisans like Snow Vuong and Solange Garcia of Plygrnd Ldn are an inspiration for other young women who may not have seen the industry as one worth exploring in the past.

In response to the feminisation of grillz, DColour has seen the value in creating opportunities for women to develop skills and be empowered to take up more space in the industry. Speaking to Alessandro, he told me “we believe there is a need for more women in the industry because they already contribute so much creatively [in terms of design] but there aren’t actually many [women owned businesses] making the grillz.” This year, DColour started a course where they welcome students into their practice offering the opportunities to build practical skills, get a better understanding of the ecosystem within Hatton Garden (the centre of the UK’s diamond trade and London’s jewellery district) and network with local contemporaries.

Both Tosan and Noora started the course recently and have grown exponentially as students already. “I’m such a shy person so the main goal of making grillz for me is to bring people out of their shell more. There are shy people like me who want to elevate their fashion and their style and I want to be the person they can go to for that,” shares Tosan who is very interested in expression through fashion.

Noora on the other hand has always wanted a set of grillz and got her first one at 15. Growing up especially seeing artists like Missy Elliot incorporating grillz in her style, it just made sense for Noora. “I’d always dabbled in jewellery and vintage fashion but never making anything myself so when I saw that they had this opportunity I was like ‘let’s do it’,” she says. “Having done it and seeing how I can just sit and do it for hours – I’ve got my Instagram ready, my logo ready and it’s all going to be out there very soon. And growing up as a Middle Eastern Muslim, I’ve been directed towards a certain career path but now this is what I want to take seriously.”

Since the rise in popularity of grillz from 2021 and the sudden increase in demand from female consumers, Tosan, Noora and Alessandro all predict an increase in female grillz artisanship. “I see grillz becoming more and more of a fashion statement and a staple piece of an outfit. I can imagine designs becoming more outrageous which I would encourage and from my experience women getting into the culture are already a massive contributor to this,” Alessandro tells me.

From a younger perspective Tosan sees the ability to take the strengths that people already have now and use them in the context of changing the grillz industry: “I feel like there’s a chance for a lot more women to be doing grillz. A girl who had studied fine art and recently graduated actually reached out to me when she saw what I was doing to find out my thoughts on the industry and I said she should go for it, I mean ‘why not?’. She could easily apply her skills to working with metal and I’m really hoping to see more women do that.”