Michelle Obama made headlines yesterday for her Democratic National Convention speech, in which she claimed Donald Trump was the 'wrong president' for the United States.
And for one small jewellery designer in America, the former FLOTUS' appearance has triggered a surge in sales.
Using her sartorial choices to make a statement during her speech, Obama wore a bespoke necklace by Los Angelean jewellery brand BYCHARI, with the word VOTE on it.
The brand is the brainchild of Chari Cuthbert, who founded it in 2012, and specialises in bespoke pieces.
Speaking to CNN, Cuthbert explained that 12 hours after Obama's appearance on Monday night orders for the VOTE necklace, which retails for approximately £300, were already hovering near 2,000.
Obama's necklace was crafted the day after her stylist, Mereditch Koop, messaged Cuthbert on Instagram for the first time in July. Cuthbert had made a limited supply of VOTE necklaces for herself and friends in 2016, and in 2018 to raise awareness about the primaries, and she intended to do so again in anticipation of 2020's presidential election.
The surge in sales has caused Cuthbert to hire six members of staff to help fulfil orders.
"I built all of the outfit options I offered to Obama around the necklace. When I commissioned it, I knew it had to be the centerpiece," Koop told CNN, admitting that she was mildly worried Obama might find the necklace too obvious, but the former first lady liked the idea of the lettering.
This isn't the first time that the former FLOTUS has used fashion to make a statement: in the Netflix documentary of her memoir, "Becoming," she talks about "turning fashion into a tool," one that can promote a range of diverse designers.
Shop BYCHARI's Vote necklace here, £275.
