Koko samoa

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“E lele le toloa ae ma‘au i le vai.”
The toloa may fly, but it always returns to the water.

This proverb speaks to grounding. No matter how far one travels, no matter how high one rises, there is always a place, and a people, that one belongs to. In faʻa Samoa, movement is not separation. It is extension. You may leave, but you do not leave behind.

We chose this proverb as the foundation of our first drop because it reflects the heart of Koko Kollective. Koko means blood. Not just life, but lineage. Blood remembers. Blood returns. Identity is not erased by distance, success, or change. Like the toloa, you carry your origin within you, even when you move through new waters.

Each of the three designs in this drop explores that idea in a different way: movement and stillness, departure and return, individuality and collective strength. Together, they speak to a truth our kūpuna have always known: who you are is shaped by where you come from, and where you come from is always with you.

Koko is for those who move through the world but remain rooted.
For those who fly, but return to the water.

E lele le toloa ae ma‘au i le vai.

The toloa, the Pacific duck, is a quiet but powerful presence in Samoa. Found in wetlands, streams, and coastal lowlands, the toloa moves with patience and awareness. It does not rush. It observes. In Samoan thought, animals like the toloa are not just creatures of the land, they are teachers of behavior and balance.

This design reflects those values. The repeated forms echo movement through water: steady, deliberate, and connected. The toloa survives by knowing when to move and when to remain still, a reminder of faʻautauta (wisdom through restraint) and onosaʻi (endurance through time). These are qualities deeply respected in faʻa Samoa, especially within family, village, and leadership.

As you wear this design, we hope you feel grounded. Not loud, not hurried, but sure of who you are and where you come from. Like the toloa, identity does not need to announce itself. It is carried with calm confidence.

E lē tele se galu, ae loloto le sami.
The wave may not be large, but the ocean runs deep.

The ula fala is a traditional Samoan adornment made from the fruit of the fala tree and dyed with the seeds of the lopa tree, carefully cleaned, drilled, and strung together by hand. Simple in form, but never simple in meaning. Each seed is separate, yet bound together. A reminder that in Samoa, strength comes from vā, the space that connects us to one another.

Traditionally worn by aliʻi and tulāfale, the ula fala marked leadership, ceremony, and responsibility. It was worn in moments where words mattered, where decisions carried weight, where service to the people came before the self. To wear the ula fala was not to claim power, but to carry tautua (duty to family, village, and ancestors).

This design honors that way of life. As you wear it, we hope you feel grounded. Aware of where you come from and who you stand with. Like the seeds themselves, identity is not loud, but it is enduring. Passed down. Carried forward. Worn close to the heart.

E le sili le taʻi nai lo le tapuaʻi.
No one stands alone — it is the collective that gives strength.