I'm very happy and proud to announce that I worked on a collaborative project with illustrator, surfer, Frenchie, dog mama, earth warrior and all round wonderful human Mélanie Johnsson.

This is me and Mélanie beaming with happiness at her gorgeous studio in Margate. 

Here's a little bit about the project:

It was late August when news broke on the Amazon fires. I was on holiday, in my beach bubble, unaware of what was going on. I heard the news via Instagram and I distinctly remember the anxiety and desperation I felt when a sea of posts tagged #PrayforAmazonas flooded my screen. There was an intense feeling of helplessness and a realisation that this was something big and important, something that could very well change life as we know it. The forest's preservation is critical to global climate stability. 

I spent the next couple of weeks thinking how I could help, in a tangible and meaningful way. Mélanie immediately came to mind, she is a person who deeply cares about our earth and supports organisations and brands that share her mindset. I reached out to her and she immediately said YES! 

For the past couple of months we have been brainstorming ideas, testing prototypes and finalising every little detail. We decided on a beautiful illustration, that Mel kindly did pro bono, which I then turned into an engraving. Ta da!

We wanted to incorporate a few different elements in the design, the engraving features two branches on either side to resemble the flora of the Amazon forest, the evil eye is a symbol of protection and the star stands for the glimmer of hope for a happier and safer future. It is crafted in 24K Gold Vermeil as well as Sterling Silver. We called it the Protector necklace as whoever wears it is a protector of the Amazon rainforest! 

We also made a matching cotton pouch in a deep forest green so you can store your necklace when you are not wearing it. 

All profits from this necklace are donated monthly to the Rainforest Alliance. Read more and donate directly. This isn't the first time the forest has had to endure such damage, it's an ongoing fight and the RA has been working towards protecting it for the past 30 years. 

If it weren't for Instagram I would have never met my lovely Mel and I wouldn't have found out about the fires either as such stories are usually ignored by mainstream media. 

This project has shown me that I don't have to be a big corporation to be able to help causes that I'm passionate about. It's as simple as sending an email and finding a partner and a community. Every action, no matter how big or small, makes a huge difference and collaboratively these small actions merge into one giant beam of hope and love. 

This necklace will be on the site indefinitely, I encourage you to share our project so we can donate as much as possible to this wonderful organisation.