Mermaid's Tale. The Story.

A collection inspired by the wonders of the sea, Anabela found herself on an imaginary travel in 2020’s quarantine, through the lens and social media of her favourite marine biologists and underwater photographers.

From Magnus Lundgren’s turquoise waters of West Papua, to Jacinta Shackleton’s glitter squids in The Great Barrier Reef; Craig Forest’s magical kelp forest in South Africa from the documentary My Octopus Teacher, to her friend Lily Wang’s photographs of otherworldly luminescent creatures from the deep black waters of Okinawa by night.  We are honoured to feature a selection of these incredible photographs in our Mermaid’s Tale campaigns.

Whilst there is nothing quite like the jewels of nature itself, Anabela hopes to have captured a glimpse of the magic and wonder of our magnificent oceans.



This is our second collection created with recycled aluminium soda cans, many of which came from ocean and beach clean-ups, including some Anabela collected with her children during frequent trips to the British seaside in 2020. The idea behind this collection began through a conversation about a shared passion for our oceans and its conservation, with two of Anabela's girlfriends from half-way across the world, who both independently left their corporate jobs in favour of maximising their time spent at sea around the world; a life spent optimising for freedom.

 

 

Valentine Thomas, Anabela's real-life mermaid friend who is a lawyer turned world record free-diving spear-fisherwoman, who dives both pristine ultramarine waters and shark-infested wild seas in equal measures. An advocate for sustainable seafood, she has been kindly collecting ocean waste metals for us along her adventures.

 

 

Lily Wang, a public healthcare professional turned underwater photographer and conservationist tells her story.
Lily Wang : “20 minutes in the sea was all it took for my first scuba diving experience to uproot my life. With a Master degree in public health, and having worked in hospital administration for about 10 years in London and Hong Kong, I thought my career path was set. Strangely enough, a trip to the Sahara suggested otherwise - watching the exhilarating sunrise illuminate the vast desert made me realise that there must be more to life. I returned home to end my stable and secure career and embarked on my journey to explore the world, specifically - wonders of the ocean.

 

 

I've been travelling both above and below the sea for over two years now, marvelling at the beauty of the blue planet and its mysterious residents. Slowly, it has become my passion to photograph these unique and enchanting underwater moments. This incredibly humbling journey of self-discovery has taught me the importance of our roles as stewards of our environment, and inspired my new green lifestyle and interest in photography and conservation efforts.”

 


 

Jacinta Shackleton is a marine biologist and underwater videographer working from the Great Barrier Reef. Her mesmerising videos of the glitter Bigfin Reef Squids are the inspiration behind our Fin Earrings, with its chameleon like colour change and fluttering fluid movement in water.

The incredible Bigfin Reef Squid is a psychedelic squid covered in tiny pink spots called Chromatophores, black spots called Iridophores and white splotches named Leucophores which are able to change colour and pattern rapidly, known as Metachrosis, which explains why they are also known as the glitter squid.

 

Inspired by her trailblazing friends, Anabela immersed herself in their world of ocean wonders through their lens and her own imaginations. They both gave Anabela immense joy and a sense of escapism during the extraordinary year, much of which was spent confined at home during London’s lockdown.
We have much to be thankful for, much to protect and preserve in nature for our future generations to marvel at, be inspired and transported to that must exist beyond our memories.

 

 

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