Meet Catalina: Retro and Playful

Photo by Emma Svalstad 

The Backstory

Santa Catalina Island is one of California’s Channel Islands known for its wildlife and dive sites. It had a fascinating storied past before successfully being developed into a tourist destination by chewing gum magnate, William Wrigley Jr. in the 1920s.

In its heyday, it attracted the Hollywood crowd, which might explain the vestiges of old world glamour and charm we saw. We were especially drawn to the abundance of wild flowers and retro feel and colors of this town.

Image courtesy of MAIKA

The Design Process

We drew inspiration from the colors of the island's architecture, and organic lines of its flora and fauna.

Image courtesy of MAIKA

Over and over again, our pencil sketches and rough paintings kept repeating themselves in the form of loose petals and brightly-colored stems in a slightly retro palette.

Image courtesy of MAIKA

 In the end, these colors stood out to us as the winner. We hope you'll love this collection as much as we do. Tell us in the comments, we'd love to hear!

Shop Catalina now.