| In the last two years custom rubber bracelets | | | | there is a color for everything. The yellow ones |
| have invaded our life. And despite fashion gurus | | | | are the most well-known, popularized by ace |
| pronouncing them a 'passing fad' they are still | | | | cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. In |
| around -- and are still climbing the popularity | | | | fact, it was Armstrong's 'LiveStrong' custom |
| charts.So what makes the custom rubber | | | | rubber bracelets that kicked off the trend of |
| bracelets so popular? Highly customizable and | | | | wearing rubber bracelets.Then followed numerous |
| cheap: those are the two qualities that make | | | | others: there were custom rubber bracelets for |
| these rubber wristbands so popular.The custom | | | | tsunami relief, to show support to American |
| rubber bracelets can be custom-manufactured for | | | | troops, to rally students against bullying, as a tool |
| any purpose: charity, crowd control, storing | | | | for crowd control, for just being trendy... Soon |
| medical information, fashion... And the ordinary | | | | there was a flood of those colorful solid rubber |
| ones usually cost just around $1 a piece -- yes, | | | | loops. By the way, the custom rubber bracelets |
| with all those customized messages and | | | | needn't be really rubber. They are also made of |
| colors.What are custom rubber bracelets? Well, | | | | silicone.Recently there has been a flood of |
| they are simply colorful rubber loops that can be | | | | criticism against the custom rubber bracelets, |
| stretched over one's palms and worn on one's | | | | caused mostly by the numerous rubber |
| wrist. And they usually have some message | | | | wristbands that have been popping up all around |
| stamped on them, such as 'Come Home Soon' | | | | with all kinds of silly messages. Does that mean |
| (that is popular with the relatives of American | | | | society is getting fed up with the custom rubber |
| servicemen) or any other message. Some big | | | | bracelets?Not by a long shot. Custom rubber |
| hospitals even stamp information such as a | | | | bracelets are going to be around, whether their |
| patient's name, medication, timings, etc on the | | | | popularity rises or wanes. Because they are so |
| rubber band bracelets. This allows the hospital | | | | useful little devices, that can be put to use in a |
| staff to quickly access the vital info without | | | | number of situations. They may go out of fashion |
| referring to a file in an emergency situation.Well, | | | | or come into fashion, but they will always be |
| that is only one aspect of their customization | | | | around in some form or other, in some situation |
| ability. They can be ordered in any color -- yellow, | | | | or another.Shannan Barrett is an avid reader and |
| green, pink, black, translucent, glow-in-the-dark... | | | | market researcher. |