( ENSPIRE She Did That ) Teen Influencer and Dancer Scarlett Bella Song Partners with Annie & Sisters to Create New Line of Jewelry for Young Girls
ENSPIRE Contributor: Natalie Dean
Teenage social media personality, Scarlett Bella Song, does a bit of everything. As a style icon, model, actress, and dancer, it is only natural to add jewelry designer to the list. Her new line in collaboration with Annie & Sisters is an exclusive line made for teens by teens.
The recently released jewelry is a creative collection of high-quality products with messages of empowerment for young girls. Necklaces, earrings, and bracelets feature words such as “love” and “courage” to promote positivity.
Scarlett Bella Song spoke with ENSPIRE to tell us more about her work and her new line:
What has been the most exciting part of your career so far?
What a great question! After quarantining/social-distancing during the pandemic, I was beyond excited to return to the runway and give live dance performances at New York Fashion Week (NYFW). I can’t express in words the profound feelings of appreciation I had for life and the opportunities that I have.
Also, another exciting opportunity for me happened just this past week: I walked the runway in a Rebel Athletic fashion show with my idols The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. In some ways, it felt like I was coming full circle to where it all began because when I was younger I performed with professional NFL cheerleaders for charity events in Washington DC. It was during these events that I discovered how critically important it is for me to give back to the community while pursuing my dreams and career.
As a brand new designer and entrepreneur, I am also incredibly excited about the recent launch of our Annie X Scarlett jewelry collection for teens.
What has been the most difficult?
The most difficult part of pursuing a multi-faceted career at this stage of my life is managing my time and commitments. Sometimes I feel like I am leading multiple simultaneous lives: full-time school (35 hours a week), full-time dance training (20-35 hours a week), social media content creator, model, actress, and newly a designer and entrepreneur. I wish I had more hours in a day (and more days in a week!), to pursue everything that interests and inspires me.
As a dancer, fashion designer, social media star, and more, how do you make time for everything?
Time is definitely my most finite and precious resource! Getting my education is my top priority, so I made a conscious decision to attend full-time school (versus home-school) like most of my dance company peers. After being in school each day, I head to the dance studio to train for five hours. When I return home at night, I do homework, shower, prepare for the next day (pack my dance bag, pack my school bag, etc) – and get ready to do it all again the next day. I dedicate my weekends to dance competitions, performances, social media content creation, design, etc. (If I book a job or have a special event during the week, then I juggle my priorities to accommodate the new commitment.)
My choice to pursue so many interests means sacrificing free time, and it highly limits socializing with my friends whom I love. For instance, last week I missed a multi-school social dance to attend a dance competition. It was disappointing, but nothing unusual because I have to make tough choices about how to invest my time.
How was the creative process while coming up with the pieces in your new jewelry line? What were the best and worst parts; how did you and Annie work together to create these pieces?
I couldn’t have been any more honored when Annie invited me to collaborate with her on the first Annie & Sisters teen jewelry collection. Annie essentially gave me a full-year jewelry design and business internship! It took nine months to conceptualize, design, and produce the Annie X Scarlett collection, and now we get to market it for the next three months. It has been a fun, challenging, and tremendously rewarding journey! I learned so much and I grew as a designer.
When Annie and I first began the creative process, we had an explosion of ideas. We naturally fed off of each other’s visions and creativity…. and it just clicked organically. I think we were in sync and harmony because we share the same values and have the same mission. So, when it came down to honing our messaging and establishing the hallmark of the collection (to unite teen girls in sisterhood), the ideas just flowed and flowed and FLOWED!!! In fact, we probably had enough ideas for a dozen collections!! So, our challenge was to laser-focus the concepts and narrow down the designs to a 15 piece collection to put into production.
What was the inspiration behind the Annie x Scarlett Collection?
The inspiration behind the collection came when we were in the midst of the pandemic and I had been on Zoom school (and online dance training) at home for over a year. I was feeling disconnected and yearned to connect more closely with my friends. I realized I was not alone in my feelings and I wanted to send messages of love and empowerment into the world.
I was born with an inherent need to express myself creatively and I enjoy exploring new vehicles and outlets to do so. Here, it took the form of sharing these messages via the 15 pieces of jewelry collection.
I hope that each person who wears a piece from the Annie X Scarlett collection feels like they received a heartfelt hug from us. I want each individual to feel the love and deep meaning infused into each piece. Hopefully, the jewelry will unite us and help create an inclusive community where we uplift and support each other.
I believe that the most authentic way to become an entrepreneur is to find an unmet need in the marketplace and yo develop products/services to best meet that need in a meaningful and enduring way. I felt the need for connection to others during the pandemic and set out on my first entrepreneurial venture to meet that need.
Ultimately, all of my future business endeavors will begin with a sense of purpose that reflects my values.
What message do you want to send through the Annie x Scarlett Collection?
The mission behind the Annie X Scarlett Collection is to spread messages of kindness, empowerment, collaboration, self-love and sisterhood throughout the teen community. Annie and I designed these pieces with a strong sense of purpose to unite and uplift teens. Essentially, the jewelry is a physical manifestation of the loving energy that we wish to send out into the world.
The Annie x Scarlett collection is a beautiful way to embrace positivity and empower wearers. In a world where teenage girls face so many issues and struggles, this jewelry line strives to embrace the best parts of life.
To check out the line, click here!
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