Silicone bracelet
A silicone bracelet is a bracelet made of silicone , which is mainly sold by nonprofit companies or associations, so that the wearer his sympathy can symbolize a certain idea or group, for. B. for cancer patients, their favorite club or an event.
Emergence
Professional cyclist Lance Armstrong wore the first silicone bracelet in summer 2004 during the Tour de France . His life motto "Livestrong" - "live strong" helped him to conquer testicular cancer and adorned the wrists of Pamela Anderson , Tom Hanks , Prince Harry and many other celebrities, embossed in a bright yellow Livestrong bracelet . Lance Armstrong sold around 70 million of these tapes for the benefit of the foundation he founded in 1997 to support people with cancer. The success of this product was so great that the manufacturers could hardly keep up with production.
Further spread
The French national soccer player Thierry Henry also used them to advance his successful campaign against racism in soccer. Thanks to the support of sponsor Nike , a white and black intertwined bracelet with the inscription "Stand Up - Speak Up" was developed and sold over 5 million times. In Germany, national team manager Oliver Bierhoff campaigned for this initiative and encouraged players and fans to stand against racism by buying these tapes.
There are many other projects that make it possible to make a mark with silicone bracelets, e.g. B. against poverty in countries like Brazil (marked with the respective national flag) or for peace. There were also bracelets for the Live8 campaign , which were kept in white and marked “ Your voice against poverty ”.
Wristbands with the label I love Boobies (in German for example: "I love pugs") from the US American Keep A Breast Foundation , an organization to fight breast cancer, are also widespread . These are 19 mm wide silicone bracelets.
In the meantime, very wide 25 mm bracelets ( 1 inch wristbands ) were also trendy , but have not become as widespread as the standard size.
Meanwhile, everyone can have silicone bracelets made by various providers. Companies in particular use this offer for advertising purposes, but private individuals also like to use the offer, for example for parties.