Alyssa Milano Hopes to Drive Civic Engagement With New Limited Edition Awe Inspired Jewelry Capsule
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When Alyssa Milano first discovered Awe Inspired, she was not only taken by the story of its founders, but by the jewelry brand’s sentimental message.
“[Awe Inspired] was founded by a three-time cancer survivor and her son, and the whole premise is just to make meaningful tokens of compassion and strength,” Milano told WWD. “When I was asked to design pieces with them, I jumped at the opportunity.”
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Milano’s new capsule, out now, includes two pieces of limited-edition jewelry inspired by her affinity for activism. The actress, who has been a UNICEF ambassador for more than two decades and is considered one of the Me Too movement’s pioneers, has spent much of her career advocating for women’s equality. Now, she’s set her sights on driving civic engagement ahead of the 2024 election.
“Literally every issue is important,” Milano explained. “Our national security, our health care, making a living wage, AI, our environment, gun violence prevention. This, I believe, will be the election that will direct the state of the world for the next 10 to 20 years.”
The “Rise Up In Awe” campaign is informed by the reversal of reproductive rights in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson, and the fact that one in three U.S. women under 40 has never voted, per the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University.
Although this marks Milano’s first time designing jewelry, the actress has always believed that great art — and great fashion — has the power to change the world.
“Fashion is such an important form of storytelling, and storytelling is, I think, the most critical part of activism,” Milano said. “We all explore who we are and our belief systems through different forms of creativity, so that was my priority, was to tell a story with these pieces.”
The first piece in Milano’s Awe Inspired collection, a white topaz-encrusted dog tag necklace ($145), is emblazoned with a raised fist, the date 1973 (when Roe v. Wade was ruled) and the phrase “My Body, My Choice.”
The second necklace ($180), a nod to women’s suffrage, features a bluebird charm reminiscent of the first-wave feminist movement’s mascot. The pendant comes adorned with pavé blue topaz stones.
All of the proceeds from the Pro-Roe Dog Tag necklace go to Planned Parenthood, while profits from the Bluebird Amulet will be donated to Girl Up, a nonprofit that seeks to empower girls around the world through leadership and mobilization.
“I believe that women, if given more opportunity, will change the world and can change the world,” Milano said. “When we empower girls and women, things change for the better. That cannot happen if we’re not also giving them bodily autonomy.”
The Awe Inspired and Alyssa Milano collection is available now on the jeweler’s website, aweinspired.com.
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