June the 14th, 2025 – The Croatian island of Hvar and Okinawa in Japan aren’t commonly seen in the same sentence, but the True Blue Croatia “One Love, One Ocean” story has altered that.
True Blue Croatia – “One Love, One Ocean”, is a heartwarming story that connects Hvar and Okinawa. Back at the end of May, the doors of True Blue Croatia opened on Croatia’s premier island of Hvar. It’s the Croatian branch of the Japanese educational ecological design project that connects sustainability, education and design in a creative and inspiring way.
The first True Blue workshop was founded back in 2023 on the island of Okinawa, where Ayumu Takahashi, a Japanese writer, bohemian and traveller, and Megumi Tamamura, a designer and passionate activist for ocean conservation, jointly launched a project that provided new life and purpose to plastic waste collected from the shoreline.
Their vision is a very simple but powerful one; to clean the sea, provide discarded materials a new purpose in a new, beautiful and lasting form, and to educate new generations about the importance of ocean conservation. That also includes those who might not immediately recognise ecology as something within their own interest.
Under the “One Love, One Ocean” slogan, True Blue Croatia creates unique jewellery, lamps and decorative objects from plastic collected from the sea and off the beaches. Each item tells its very own story, and every step in the process involves the community – from collection, sorting and recycling, to the actual creation of the end product.
The arrival of True Blue Croatia on the island of Hvar was made possible by Yukiko Carić, a Hvar native of Japanese descent, who connected the Japanese founders with the local community and the Moj Škoj Association. Following a series of joint ecological projects, the True Blue Factory & Shop was opened in the heart of Hvar – a space that simultaneously functions as a shop, workshop and educational centre.
Here, visitors get better acquainted with the entire recycling process – from the plastic collected on the coast to the final product. The most exciting thing if all is that they can get involved in making souvenirs that tell the story of the sea, nature and human creativity.
In addition to the founders Ayumu and Megumi, the opening was attended by Japanese investors and supporters of the project Yuichiro Yano and Kimiyo Sawahara, as well as Haruka, the manager of True Blue Croatia. Haruka leads workshops every day and shows visitors how small pieces of plastic can be used to create useful and original objects.
During the summer, True Blue Croatia will organise a series of activities such as beach clean-ups, a series of workshops for children and adults, movement meetings and educational programmes. This project which connects Hvar and Okinawa is especially interesting for tourists who tend to seek experiences with a deeper purpose and enjoy a holiday with a positive impact.
True Blue Croatia offers exactly that; a combination of ecology, culture and personal engagement through art and design.
