Jazzy Furuya and Taylene Funada, eighth-graders at Kaimuki Middle School, have become part of a growing circle of Lokai bracelet owners across the state and around the globe.

Furuya, 13, just bought a purple one for $18 with gift money from her aunt. Purple is the latest color released by the New York company that promises to donate $1 for each purple bracelet sold in February to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Possibly just a passing trend, Lokai bracelets come with a story that seems to appeal to a range of customers, while social media helps advertise it.

At Kaimuki Middle School, Furuya and Funada estimated about 80 percent of the student body, numbering about 1,000, wear the bracelets, both boys and girls. The trend started about a year and a half ago, they said.

As bracelet owners, they became part of the “live Lokai” circle.

That circle includes celebrities ranging from singer Justin Bieber to actress Ashley Greene. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was photographed wearing a stack of bracelets on each wrist heading into the Super Bowl.

It also includes Lokai bracelet owners from Paris to Mexico, who post artistic photos of their bracelets held up against stunning backdrops like the Eiffel Tower or inside the curl of a wave.

The best friends first got wind of Lokai on Instagram, thought it was cool and liked the concept of giving back.

“I think it would be cool to have all of them. I think it’s for a good cause,” said Funada, 13, who sports both a clear bracelet and a pink one. Proceeds from the pink one helped fund breast cancer research.

Furuya says her purple bracelet has extra meaning to her because her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

It’s a bond she shares with Lokai creator Steven Izen, who started the company shortly after his grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

The name was inspired by the word “lokahi,” which means unity in Hawaiian, according to Izen.

Izen came up with the idea while still a college student at Cornell University but did not launch Lokai until after he graduated in 2013. His goal is to donate 10 percent of profits to charity.

The bracelets, made of silicone beads, include one bead that contains water from Mount Everest, representing the highest point on Earth, and another bead that contains mud from the Dead Sea, representing the lowest point on Earth.

“I brought these two key elements together because life is full of cycles,” said Izen on his website. “Life is full of joy and sadness, and we can all relate to its highs and lows.”

It’s a reminder to stay humble during life’s peaks and hopeful during its lows, according to mylokai.com.

Vivian Fung, head cashier at T&C Surf Designs at Ala Moana Center, sees the bracelets as part of the growing popularity of socially responsible brands.

She has seen everyone from elementary school students with their parents to 30-somethings and beyond come in to buy the bracelets.

She also sees them on campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she’s a junior.

Fung, 20, bought pink and purple bracelets, which she wears in and out of the ocean. The purple is in memory of her grandfather, who had Alzheimer’s.

Lokai encourages its customers to share photos of the bracelet with the hashtag #livelokai on Twitter or Instagram.

Fung recently took a photo of her bracelet encircling a sunset from atop Koko Crater to share on Instagram.

As for the recent phenomenon at Kaimuki Middle School, principal Frank Fernanades said he does not see any problem with the popularity of Lokai bracelets among students at this time. For the most part, he says, they seem to carry a positive message.

“It has to materially interfere with the normal operation of the school before we look at it,” he said.

Lokai bracelets are available at T&C Surf Shop on Oahu, Simmer Hawaii on Maui, Deja Vu Surf Hawaii on Kauai and Mary Jane’s on the Big Island, as well as at mylokai.com.