We begin our process by foraging for purple sea urchins (strongylocentrotus purpuratus).

All of our sea urchins are foraged from the California coast. We participate in volunteer urchin removal initiatives to help clear purple urchins from large parts of the ocean floor so there is room for kelp to grow back.

We are inspired by Indigenous approaches to nature. Before we enter the ocean or remove an urchin, we ask for permission. And we try to use the entire animal whenever possible. We use the spines to create dye and the bodies/tests are donated to farmers for compost or artists for projects.

Indigenous organizations we are inspired by include Indigenous Community Initiatives and Xa Kako Dile: at Fortunate Farm.

Some of our favorite urchin-removal initiatives are the Caspar Cove Project, the Purple Urchin Removal Project, The Nature Conservancy, Reef Check, and Sea Trees/Sustainable Surf.

When we process the purple urchins, we expire the animals in the most humane way and are continuing our research to find more compassionate ways to carry out this challenging part of the process.

After the animals have been extinguished, we separate the spines from the bodies, clean the spines to minimize smell, and dry the spines.

The natural dye process we have developed is akin to ocean acidification. When we create our dye, it bubbles, fizzes, and foams as the exoskeletons of the urchin spines disintegrates and releases the soft peachy pink color you see adorning our pieces. We welcome you to explore the process in one of our urchin dye workshops.

It’s magical and we are excited to share it with all of you in the Sea Urchin Dye Kits we’ll be launching in 2025.