Since the Maldives are one of Noora Shawqi’s inspirations as a jewelry designer, she is focusing her latest corporate social responsibility campaign on supporting efforts to protect and preserve coral reefs there.
The campaign, which began in late October, raises awareness and funds for the marine consultancy company Reefscapers through Shawqi’s new Maldives collection. Located in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives are known for their crystal clear waters, coral reefs, and diverse aquatic life, Shawqi says.
“Preserving the beauty of the places we draw inspiration from is essential to our brand’s ethos,” Shawqi tells JCK. “We are thrilled to partner with Reefscapers to support the preservation of coral reefs in the Maldives, and we believe this campaign will make a significant impact in the local community and beyond.”
Social responsibility is a long-term goal for Shawqi, who is based in Dubai and has traveled extensively. With each of her collections, she tries to give back to the place that inspired it. Previously, Shawqi linked her Morocco collection to fundraising for AlNour, an organization that helps women with disabilities in Morocco.
For the Maldives line, Shawqi uses patterns found on seashells to create delicate necklaces, bangles, and rings with mother-of-pearl in tones of white, black, pink, and turquoise that resemble the ocean.
She tells JCK more about the Reefscapers partnership in this interview, which has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you get started with corporate social responsibility?
I believe the best way to show gratitude is by giving back, which is why I decided to do CSR campaigns for my collections. My first CSR campaign was all about empowering women with special needs in Marrakech, Morocco. I was told about the AlNour center that helps women with disabilities and encourages them to be creative with their talents. It inspired me in many ways. When we launched the campaign, the thing I was the most proud of was knowing we can make a difference and raise awareness in any way possible. After that, we decided to create CSR campaigns for our collections, which led us to our Maldives campaign with Reefscapers.
Why coral reefs?
Coral reefs are a source of life for thousands of sea creatures, and because of global warming and many other factors happening, the coral reefs are getting destroyed. During my visit to the Maldives, I have learned about the important factors of the coral reefs and what they provide to marine life. Maldives being one of the most beautiful places in the world, and being home to many sea creatures, I felt this is the right campaign for our collection.
How did you select Reefscapers for the initiative?
After long research on who we should partner with, we decided Reefscapers are the most suitable entity to carry out our campaign. We loved that they are very passionate about marine life in many ways—their knowledge and understanding of what needs to be done was exactly what we were searching for. I was amazed that the main purpose of Reefscapers is to improve the sea environment with constant projects and campaigns.
Why should jewelers join social responsibility efforts?
I think all companies from different sectors should put efforts in CSR. Together we can influence each other for the better. Spreading knowledge and awareness is an important factor to improvement.
Top: Coral reefs in the Maldives will benefit from jewelry brand Noora Shawqi’s partnership with the conservation group Reefscapers. (Photos courtesy of Noora Shawqi)
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