Products with benefits

As retailers move into October, the colour pink starts to prevail thanks to the month being dedicated to raising money and awareness for breast cancer. The associated pink ribbons have been turned into enamel brooches, bracelets and beads, while limited-edition pink versions of existing models have been brought out as the jewellery and watch industry has started to lend its support.

However, it is not just breast cancer that jewellery and watch brands are creating pieces to raise money for. From Help for Heroes to Richard Parks’ 737 Challenge to raise money for Marie Curie, which was supported by Welsh jewellery brand Clogau Gold, these collaborations are smart money for the brands, the retailers and for the charities.

Jewellery boutique Robinson Pelham has created a pendant, the Tree of Life, to raise money for breast cancer. The brand is collaborating with The Haven, a support organisation for women with breast cancer, and the Tree of Life is the Haven’s symbol, which represents hope, growth and strength.

“We are huge supporters of breast cancer awareness. Every woman is on the frontline in the battle against breast cancer, including us,” said Vanessa Chilton, Zoe Benyon and Kate Pelham Burn, the directors of Robinson Pelham.

Robinson Pelham is one of many brands lending its support to beating breast cancer. Guess Watches added the Sparkling Pink watch to its collection to support Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Too Many Women.

“Designing a Guess Breast Cancer Awareness watch is an initiative that is fundamental to the ethos of our company in giving back,” said Sequel UK sales director Vicki McCabe.
“We have all been blessed with so much that it is important to give something back and raise awareness. The battle against breast cancer is an ongoing fight that really
is a worthy cause.”

Bead brands are also offering retailers charitable product options. Trollbeads has pink glass Empowerment Beads that support Cancer Research UK. “Cancer Research UK is making huge advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and, as a result, more and more people are surviving cancer and getting their lives back,” says Sarah Morfoot, managing director of Fable Trading Ltd, the UK distributor of Trollbeads.

“A Trollbeads Empowerment bead is more than just a thought, it’s a real contribution towards the fight to beat this devastating disease.”

Despite costing more than a £1 donation in exchange for a ribbon, consumers are embracing the ranges.

Pandora also has a bead that uses the pink ribbon motif and, through its charitable ranges, the brand raises £100,000 a year for good causes.

One of the biggest charity success of last year was fashion jewellery brand Kleshna’s poppies, which were created to raise money for the Royal British Legion. The poppies were worn on The X Factor and the TV appearance not only gave the brand a boost but also raised £250,000 for the Legion.

“The Legion is delighted to be working with jewellery partners such as Kleshna and [jewellery brand]Buckley for another year to enable people to celebrate the poppy - the enduring symbol of Remembrance - in a stylish and contemporary way,” said a Royal British Legion spokesperson.

“The bespoke sparkly poppies are fun and youthful, and are designed to supplement, not replace, the Legion’s paper poppies.”

Another brand that has launched a range to support the Armed Forces is Aagaard, which has created a bracelet to raise money and awareness for soldiers through Help for Heroes.
“It all started when a soldier friend of one of our biggest clients in Denmark told him about his fellow soldiers who were braiding bracelets and selling them among themselves to raise money for a friend of theirs who had been injured and didn’t have any money,” said Aagaard spokesperson Marianne Kalb Møller.

“He came to us with the proposition to raise money on a larger scale.”

The resulting bracelets are made with parachute lining, which is what the originals were created from, and are available for men - with a loop fastening - and for women, in a style that fastens with a heart.
In two years, the brand has sold 36,000 bracelets in its home country of Denmark.
Although raising money and awareness is the primary motivation behind the creation of these ranges, it benefits the retailer and the brand as well as the charity it supports, which makes getting involved more than worthwhile.

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