İTÄ Fine Jewelry, a 2-year-old brand based in Istanbul and San Juan, Puerto Rico, is partnering with Puerto Rican–born ballerina Helga Paris-Morales to introduce a campaign to benefit Brown Girls Do Ballet, a global nonprofit that works to increase the number of dancers from underrepresented communities in ballet programs around the world.
The brand’s Be Moved campaign spotlights a selection of ITÄ pieces handpicked by Paris-Morales, a 20-year-old professional dancer who choreographs and performs with the Washington Ballet. Each time one of her picks is sold, ITÄ will donate 5% of the proceeds directly to Brown Girls Do Ballet. The funds will support scholarships and resource initiatives for young girls of color.
Inesita Capó, cofounder and codesigner of İTÄ, said in a prepared statement, “Partnering with Helga was a no-brainer for us. Seeking inspiration during the lockdown—and as a lover of dance—I followed Helga on social media and was struck by her versatility. Growing up as a dancer myself, I immediately connected to the strength of Helga’s emotion when she moves. She is an enchanting spirit, and as soon as we met her, she felt like a natural fit with our brand.”
The campaign features a pretty video of the dancer moving gracefully while adorned in the İTÄ pieces, as well as still photography (see above photos).
The brand was founded by Capó, who’s based in Puerto Rico, and Äfet Burcu Salargil, who’s based in Turkey, who met while they were undergraduates at Syracuse University (Capó studied magazine journalism, and Burcu Salargil majored in fashion design). The brand is handmade in small jewelry ateliers in Istanbul.
“Our pieces carry a great deal of meaning, culture, and history,” Capó added in the statement, “so we wanted the person behind them [Paris-Morales] to embrace and commit to those values.”
Top: Dancer Helga Paris-Morales in İTÄ Fine Jewelry’s Be Moved campaign, which supports Brown Girls Do Ballet (all photos courtesy of İTÄ Fine Jewelry)
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