Armed and fashionable

They say that accessories accentuate the outfit. They bolden, liven, dress up the individual. It gives a person an avenue to express themselves. For centuries, sellers and consumers have latched onto that theory. As a result, people have been rocking various hand and arm accessories to match their clothes since God told Adam to cover himself. From bracelets to rings, watches to kabala strings. Whether they be blinging or keeping it simple, hand/arm accessories are here to stay.

In the last couple of years, a new arm accessory adorns the wrist of millions and has grabbed the attention of consumer’s worldwide. It tells the world that this individual is a “player”, that they will “make poverty history”, they support “salvation army”, and will “livestrong”. This “in” item is worn by basketballers & shotcallers, the young & the old, male & female, the cool & the uncool.

What is this item I’m talking about?

The humble wristband.

That coloured rubber band with a single word written on it. You’ve seen it. Those corporate people rocking the yellow wristband on the left hand underneath that suit. That chick with the pink wristband. The baller with the basketball singlet and the new necessary accessory: the white wristband.

According to Wikipedia:

"More recently, wristbands, often made of silicone, are worn to demonstrate the wearer's support of a cause or charitable organization, similar to awareness ribbons. Such wristbands are sometimes called symbands or awareness bracelets to distinguish them from other types of wristbands".

How did this phenomena start? How did a piece of rubber/elastic emboldened with a single word sell for $5? And how did charities catch on to this craze?


Livestrong: Lance And The Yellow Wrist Road

Although hand accessories have been around for ages, we can trace this particular wristband craze to one single person: Lance Armstrong, the Olympic cycler. Lance was diagnosed with cancer but he still continued to compete at an elite level inspiring millions with the ability to combat adversity. He set up the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) with the mission “to inspire and empower people with cancer to live strong” and rocked the now infamous yellow “Livestrong” wristband in all his races.

The wristband became the mantra for his organisation, with the yellow colour representing the yellow jersey worn by the Tour De France leader’s jersey. But it is more than that. The yellow also reps “a symbol for hope, courage, and perseverance”.

More than 47.5 million Livestrong Nike wristbands have been sold with the goal to help enhance the quality of life of young cancer patients and their families. And no doubt with more wristband sales to come.


Catching on

I was amazed to see that the yellow wristband phenomena did not stop there. At the Newtown festival, I saw red Salvation Army wristbands. I’ve also seen white ‘Make Poverty History” Wristbands. Add pink “women’s cancer” wristbands to that category too. The charities have been quick to catch on to this new fashionable item. There's also black/white ones to tackle racism, blue/green ones to break down catholic/protestant religious barriers between soccer fans, and purple ones to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis. Apparently its cooler to rock a wristband then a big ass badge/ribbon/red nose. If you can make $2 a pop by selling these things, why not? You buy it for a good cause and you can look cool at the same time! It’s the new way to raise desperately needed funds and promote awareness for different causes. However, I would argue that lot of people buy them without really knowing what the cause is, or simply have a vague idea of what they are really supporting.

But don’t for a second think that it was for only charities. Every basketball court I go, every shopping centre, every train I catch in the morning, there is always someone wearing a Nike or AND1 wristband. For those not in the know, these have nothing to do with charity. It’s become a commercialised commoditised item. I think Nike must have realised the selling potential and with words like “Baller”, “Respect”, “Player”, and “Defense”, they have been embraced with open arms (and wrists). And these ones don’t come cheap as they sell for $14.95 for a pack of 3! And serial bandits aren’t satisfied with wearing one. Its even more fashionable to rock multiple bracelets (three or even four).

Armed and cuffed

I must admit that I don’t actually own a wristband (Shock! Horror!). But like the intro says, hand/arm accessories are used to dress up an outfit, to give us that individual look. So in my self expressionist fashion, I have many armbands.

Armbands used to serve some kind of purpose and they still do. Tennis players wore them to capture the sweat running down their arms so their hands wouldn’t get sweaty and to wipe the sweat off their foreheads. Similarly, basketball players use them on their main shooting/dribbing hand. But the whole armband thing has just exploded. Skaters, rockers, punks, ballers, girls all now sport the furry band on their upper forearm. There’s no reason other than to look cool.

Now, we see another fashion item developing. The leather armband for the wrist. With the strap, the clip on button or the watch strap fastener. These have been popular since the days of the Roman centurions going as far back as the ancient Aztec Warriors. Well they say that fashion goes in cycles, and this item is clearly back on the agenda. I guilty though as I have a brown leather one!


Armed and here to stay

Whether you dress casual, urban, corporate, there’s always some hand/arm/wrist accessory that the market has for you. From the simplistic wristband to the sporty armband, you’ll can always be armed and fashionable.