What Makes Our Shells Sustainable

A deeper look into the origins and ethics behind our sustainable shell jewellery, signature shell dresses, and shell-trimmed tops.

Our shell pieces begin with the ocean. But more importantly, they begin with respect for the environment and communities.

At Electra, we work directly with the Sea Gypsy tribes of Sulawesi, Indonesia—coastal communities whose lives, histories, and mythologies are woven into the tides. These communities have passed down an intimate understanding of the marine environment for generations. Their knowledge is lived, not learned; practiced through generational knowledge. 

Naturally Harvested Shells 

Every shell used in our designs is collected only after it has naturally detached from its ecological source. This means:

• No live harvesting

• No reef disruption

• No shells taken from marine nurseries or from habitats still in use by sea life

Each shell has already completed its role in the ocean’s ecosystem. Our ethos is to continue its story through our collections. 

Ethical Collaboration, Not Extraction

We do not purchase shells through bulk global suppliers or anonymous trading networks. Instead, we source directly from Sea Gypsy families whose livelihoods are tied to the natural rhythms of the islands and the archipelago.

This direct relationship ensures:

• Fair compensation to local communities

• Continuity of cultural coastal stewardship

• Traceability from shore to studio

The exchange is personal. Human. Respectful towards this ancestral trade. 

Certified and Environmentally Accountable

All of our shells are accompanied by CITES certification (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). This certification verifies that the shells have been gathered, traded, and transported without harm to protected ecosystems or species.

This is slow production by design—seasonal, mindful, guided by conditions rather than demand.

Hand-Finished With Care

Once the shells arrive in our studio, each one is cleaned, polished, and prepared by hand. This tactile care honours the natural form of the shell rather than forcing it into uniformity. Every curve, every ridge, every tone of ivory or sand is left to show its origin.

The result is not simply an accessory—it is a part of island communities, stories, tides, and touch.

A Romantic and Responsible Luxury

We believe that sensuality and sustainability are not opposites. They are inseparable.

To wear a shell is to wear memory: of water and wind, of sunlight refracted on waves, of an ocean that breathed it into being.

Our pieces invite you to move slowly. To return to softness. To feel luxury not as excess, but as harmony.

Why Sustainability Matters to Us

In a world of mass-produced ornament and accelerated fashion cycles, we choose the opposite:

• Materials that come from nature and return to it

• Craft that honours the hands that gather and make our pieces

• Beauty that does not require harm

This is sustainable luxury island style. Not symbolic. Not aspirational. Lived.

When you wear our shell pieces, you carry the stories of the tribes and  oceans of Indonesia with you.......