Of all the Japanese earthquake/tsunami relief apparel I have seen, the piece that caught my eye is the B-Side Japan Relief necklace. B-Side has released this simple sterling silver necklace inscribed with the public law code for the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, an act which ended national-origin quotas in the United States created by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1924.
For those of you that need a quick history lesson, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished the Immigration Act of 1924, a law enacted to try and curb European and Asian immigration. I love the B-Side Japan Relief necklace for its simple design and symbolic message of unity. The necklace sells for $60, with half of that going to the American Red Cross.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Charitable Jewelry
- Designing jewelry for a cause can become a disruptive way of offering a unique fashion asset and serve a noble cause.
- Symbolic Messaging
- Incorporating symbols and meanings in jewelry design provides a disruptive approach to empower fashion beyond aesthetics and ascribe purpose to the accessory.
- Historical Awareness
- Referencing historical events in jewelry pieces provides an opportunity to educate consumers while offering them a tangible way to connect with historical events.
Where This Applies
- Fashion
- Designers can iterate on purely fashion-based jewelry to include social causes, historical references, and symbolic messaging to bring attention to important topics.
- Social Impact
- Companies can use jewelry to promote social responsibility, employee engagement, and community outreach through charitable partnerships and social sharing.
- Education
- Academic institutions and museums can leverage jewelry design products as a means to communicate historical events while offering an artifact-based reminder of those events.
