Wave Hello To The Eco-Minded, Vegan, Surfer Chic Tia Blanco x Satine Creation Jewelry Collection
Most great surfers describe riding a wave as a euphoric experience that involves an almost spiritual connection with the ocean, one through which their bodies and the water become — even if only for a fleeting amount of time — a singular entity. Though she’s only 16 years old, California-based surfer Tia Blanco is certainly familiar with that sensation — and it’s likely that this synergy with the ocean, along with her athleticism, is part of the reason why she’s become such a serious contender in the professional surfing circuit, having competed in the NSSA Open, NSSA Explorer, WSA, Scholastic Surfing Series, and the 2010 USA National Championships. It’s not surprising, then, that Blanco insists on living an eco-minded lifestyle and maintaining a vegan diet — after all, her job, her passion, involves respecting and embracing nature.
When she teamed up with Parisian jewelry designer Marie Lapaire, the mastermind behind the brand Satine Creation, to create a limited-edition jewelry collection, Blanco insisted on the pieces being a reflection of her own philosophies as both an environmentalist and animal rights activist. Lapaire graciously acquiesced, setting aside the exotic leathers she traditionally employs in her jewelry designs and instead relying primarily on vegan leather, linen, and cotton wool to create the pieces within the collection. The Tia Blanco x Satine Creation collection, then, fuses together Blanco’s beachy California aesthetic and her Zen attitude with Lapaire’s fascination with mixed materials, modern graphics, and wanderlust-infused designs.
The highlight in the collection are the three cuff bracelets pictured above, each crafted using supple vegan leather and screen-printed linen. Each cuff bears a printed rendition of one of Lapaire’s original illustrations: whether it’s the asymmetrical spots on the Cheetah Cuff or the rounded, clustered petals seen on the Lotus Cuff. The animal print designs are destined to be a surefire hit with both cosmopolitan trendsetters and sun-loving, laid-back surfer chicks. But it’s the lotus design that has me swooning since it alludes to a tranquility of the mind and body but, most importantly, it pays homage to an aquatic blossom — a fitting motif in a surf-inspired collection.
The Tia Blanco x Satine Creation collection is currently available at SatineCreation.fr. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these jewelry pieces will be donated to PETA2, an organization dedicated to educating young people about animal rights.
