Throwback Lei Collection by Alisa

Strive to Reach the Highest

Today, we're throwing it back to last Sunday, July 11, when Alisa was celebrating the launch of her most personal collection yet: The Lei Collection by Alisa. The collection was strictly limited and available for less than 72 hours – and many of the jewelry pieces sold out in minutes. The collection featured one necklace, matching earrings and belt, and one ring.

In case you're spotting the gorgeous jewelry pieces somewhere and you're wondering what their individual story was, I am going to tell you everything you need to know about the motivation behind the collection, the key design elements and the small yet beautiful collection launch celebrations in Alisa's beautiful green garden. 

Scroll down to read more! 

The Story

As you all probably know, Alisa, Freddy (her now husband) and Etienne founded PURELEI in 2016, inspired by Alisa's time abroad there, the natural beauty of the islands and the spirit of Aloha. Hawaii is, and always has been, her constant source of inspiration. It was immediately clear to everyone involved that the Lei Collection by Alisa would be more than just an ordinary collection launch, that these jewelry pieces are truly meaningful, designed to empower, motivate, and connect you to what matters most.

The Designs

Let's start with the name: Why Lei Collection? Hawaii is a beautiful island, known for its beautiful, aromatic tropical flowers. In Hawaiian tradition, the lei (flower crown) is a symbol of hospitality, love, respect and Aloha. Lei greetings are very popular in Hawaii, and the lei is also part of our brand name: PURE-LEI. When taking a closer look at the jewelry pieces, you can also spot the hibiscus flower and some featured in the designs. 

The most prominent design element this collection plays with is a portray of Queen Kapi'olani, Queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1874 to 1891. On her way to a really cool beach spot, Alisa was telling me, she always passed a statue remembering the queen with the dedicatory inscription: "Kūlia i ka nu'u", which translates to "strive for the highest". Alisa was so inspired by this quote that it even became her life motto. And so this collection is made to inspire and motivate you to believe in yourself and to strive to reach the highest.

But there's even more to the designs of the collection, which I will tell you about now: The gorgeous statement necklace has a very special feature that no other PURELEI jewelry piece ever had: The pendant is a two-sided, flippable coin, just perfect for changing up your look at any time. It resembles a necklace that Alisa's grandmother passed on to her, and she would always wear it as a lucky charm, a talisman of good fortune, that always kept her safe. 

The Small Yet Beautiful Launch Event

As the launch took place only a few days after Alisa's birthday, she spontaneously decided to host a mini launch event for her family and close friends! With the help of a few dear partners, Alisa set up a long table beautifully decorated in her garden, the rose and beige colors matching the lush green tree leafs in her garden perfectly. In case you saw our Instagram story that day, you already know that there was live music too! We were all really happy to see a scenery like this again – we're all missing our PURELEI events and I bet you do, too! Happy kids and dogs were playing, it was truly a Sunday morning well spent.

Inspired by this very personal story and Alisa's experiences she is passing on to her family, friends and everyone at PURELEI and beyond every day, I am ending this article with some great advice from our lovely co-founder: 

Anything you missed and are dying to know about this special collection and launch day? Tell me about it in the comment section below and I will get back to you with answers!

Love Lauri