Explore a New Side of Paradise: Easter Island
When life gets so hectic and demanding that rushing through another day in the city seems unbearable, many of us dream of an alternate lifestyle, living in paradise—the simple life on a tropical island amid sandy beaches and turquoise waters with a soundtrack of lazy, exotic music and the sweet songs of native birds.
Even as a jaded, self-proclaimed globetrotter, that life sounds incredibly appealing. My travels have taken me all around the globe, but I will be the first to admit they are concentrated mostly in Europe and Asia.
I jumped at the chance to visit Easter Island for the first time. Other places like Tahiti and Hawaii are, of course, stunning and impressive, but something told me Rapa Nui, as the natives call it, was the quiet area where true Polynesian culture flourished.
However, getting there felt like reaching the end of the world, quite literally. The most southeastern point of Polynesia, it is a lone paradise in the Pacific with its closest inhabited neighbor—Pitcairn—located 1289 miles away.
Reaching the island in the late afternoon, I could feel the culture immediately at the airport. Within the island’s only town, totem poles, figurative wall carvings, and Leis made of indigenous flowers received guests in every direction. Skilled locals crafted decorative tribal patterns on everyday objects, artistic watercolors of the surrounding views, and ornately embroidered and embellished, hand-sewn masterpieces. Despite the number of visitors outnumbering the natives, the rich and vibrant culture is not diluted one bit.
Nested in turquoise shades of deep seas speckled with lava rocks, endless green meadows stretch coast to coast, woven with bold flowers, tiptoeing carefully around archaic volcanoes and quarries. Hanga Roa, the island’s only town, sits quietly within this natural haven with a population of slightly over 3000. Unlike most foreign places, littered with hotels and restaurants boasting international travel standards, the authenticity of this unspoiled place could not only be felt, but seen. Easter Island is as original as it ever was.
Contemplating the best way to capture the unique flora and fauna of this exotic utopia, I took snapshots with both my camera and mind. My heart beat fast with excitement thinking of our upcoming collection, then slow again while taking in the soothing scenery.
Moving Moai Statues
What really sets Easter Island apart—in terms of panoramic views—is a population of 887 statues carved from enormous lava stones, called moai. With disproportionably large heads featuring broad noses, strong chins and elongated ears over smaller and less detailed bodies, these statues stand over 13 feet high and weigh about 14 tons, on average.
Believed to have protected and provided the natives with everything they needed, some moai stand proudly along ceremonial shrines, called ahu, while others erected along the shoreline back the sea and face inward to watch over their clans. However, it is still a mystery as to how these impressive carvings were transported from quarries and mounted all along the island, so many centuries ago.
The feeling that overcomes at the sight of those giant moai spread across the treeless land, is one of awe and mystery. After spending a day taking in the breathtaking views and local Polynesian culture, as a foreign guest in this land, I realized it was not possible to understand such a remote paradise in merely a few days. Without any form of protection other than its own isolation, the Rapanui way of life has not veered away from its roots in over seventeen hundred years.
The Other Side of Paradise
Considering its unique appearance and ultimate seclusion, it is not surprising that different groups would discover—and fight to the death over—such a precious gem. Toppled moai give a glimpse into a darker past for Rapa Nui—a time when civil wars, slave raids and colonialism took over the island.
Optimism radiated across the island, through the beaming smiles of natives, which seemed to say they were happy left alone, secluded by such remoteness. After a dark history of near deforestation, civil wars, and population declines, they simply want to celebrate a peaceful existence. And celebrate, they do! Now, lively dancing and constant drumbeats are simply part of daily island life.
Noting the lack of hotels and restaurants catering to tourists, which litter most foreign retreats, I could not only feel the richness of this genuine place, I could see it. A place where indulgence in nature and wholehearted traditions equal opulence, Easter Island was as original as it ever was.
On Easter Island, authenticity is anything but an afterthought. Here, I found paradise for the first time in its original form. From the aromatic saunas, called Hare Mahana Ora, woven from local eucalyptus and warmed by lava rocks over an open fire to the moai left uncompleted in the quarries where they originated before carving began, the culture and history are as genuine as can be.
Here, time stayed still. Civilization somewhat meant destroying one culture by insisting on another. And in between, lies the most beautiful island that is both vast and picturesque, but empty and still.
It is not a myth that behind every scenic island we call paradise lies a similar story of native population and way of life being pushed out by more dominant styles and cultures insisting on 5-star luxuries—despite the distance to the nearest mainland and the resources it takes to do so.
What’s remarkable then, is that Easter Island, due to its remoteness, could be showcased as its authentic self, and at such, unveils to us what the other side of paradise might be.
Real Rapa Nui
I wanted to communicate this sense of two sides of paradise. The side that meets the eyes: Deep blue Pacific ocean splashing onto the dark hard cliffs that formed over centuries of volcanic activity, the relaxing and colorful Polynesian culture that has forever imprinted a sense of carefree spirit and optimism in my mind, and the rich and mysterious symbols and signs that have come to be associated with that culture.
But, also, the other side of paradise hidden beneath the surface: One with a violent history of cannibalism and deforestation, as well as overpopulation and slavery, and humans trying to carve out a living in even the most remote of lands.
Capturing the tension of such powerful contrasts, while taking design cues from nature and ancient arts, and adapting methods akin to those of native artisans, our newest collection modestly showcases the authenticity I felt while experiencing Easter Island.
The untouched nature of the island presents an opportunity to express—through design—a tension that I never felt so intensely present before: that of power struggles resulting in a peaceful existence. Just as the island provides picture-perfect panoramic views upon first impressions, I wanted to give a glimpse of the troubles that strained this society, as well.
Inspired by Island Culture
Looking to native flora and fauna for inspiration was an obvious direction based on the natural beauty of the island, but our designs take a cultural turn as we pay tribute to the resilience of the Rapanui people through Polynesian-inspired patterns. We borrowed tribal prints in natural hues like Palm and Pebble and repeated geometric motifs to create neutral prints with pops of color like those seen on our reversible Isla duvet.
Meanwhile, blossoming beauties like our Kaleah bed infuse a hand-painted watercolor style in shades of Orchid, Elderberry and Lilac into an otherwise neutral backdrop of Dove Grey with crawling white vines and botanicals.
Mixing in elements of craftsmanship witnessed in the Polynesian culture, we incorporated ornate, hand-sewn embellishments and other artisan techniques like embroidery-based ikat motifs and others inspired by dip-dye techniques.
With a paradisal palette of Palm, Turquoise, Orchid and Dove Grey as our design base, we signify the stillness of peace and civilization witnessed today, as stormy accents from Deep Sea to Meridian Blue and bright flashes of Firecracker hint at a colorful past.
This rich and powerful collection reflects my journey to Easter Island that began with the soothing Polynesian culture, familiar from the powerful stories I had heard, and ended with an understanding of our responsibility to appreciate and to protect this unique human heritage.
Escape to a place so relaxing and remote that reality is forgotten altogether. With refined highlights of nature, colorfully presented in exotic designs, we invite you to discover true paradise: Explore Easter Island!
