Imagine a charm bracelet that actually was lucky. Or an eternity bracelet that actually prolonged life…
‘Pembe Club’ aims to be just that. Not with sorcery or spells, but with a quiet determination to change the fortunes of one of the most magnificent, yet threatened creatures on Earth.
As an animal lover, I watched with disbelief the growing reports of elephant poaching in my native Tanzania. But it was my last safari to the Selous Game Reserve that changed everything.
Expecting the endless elephant herds I recalled from safaris as a child, I was devastated to leave the Selous a week later, without having seen a single elephant. The awful emptiness of those vast plains changed me. And suddenly, it was no longer about scribbling out a cheque, but about something more enduring… and more personal”
So it was that Pembe Club was born.
Named for the Swahili word meaning ivory or tusk, Pembe Club crafts limited edition jewellery, using a combination of African and contemporary elements.
We marry these with hand carved and cast designs, inspired by the magnificence of tusk, tooth and horn that is being plundered from our wildlife on a daily basis, in the hope that by replicating these shapes, we are also slowly replacing them…
As each piece carries its message across the world, one wearer at a time, we can build a community that no longer has a need for such cruel adornment.
So join the Club. Wear it with pride… and our gratitude.
VISION
Tusk, tooth and horn are being plundered from our wildlife on a daily basis. By replicating these magnificent forms in exquisite and sought-after hand-carved and -cast designs, we hope to slowly replace them. One wearer at a time, each piece will carry its message across the world, building a community that no longer has a need for such cruel adornment.
MISSION
To use the power of fashion and hand-crafted aesthetics to change the fortunes of the most magnificent, yet threatened creatures on Earth. To harness the purchasing power of the luxury goods market for the benefit of those most directly involved in the battle against poaching.
VALUES & ETHOS
We strive to be as transparent as possible in every aspect of our business: from designing and crafting each piece by hand, to personally selecting the organisations we support. By channeling part of every purchase to those that are most effective in their anti-poaching efforts, we ensure that our mission is one with meaning and impact.
As a result of our quest for transparency and in recognition to our commitment to protect our wildlife and our planet, we are honoured to have been awarded the Butterfly Mark, powered by Positive Luxury.
The Butterfly Mark offers wordless assurance that Pembe Club is a brand to trust.
THE ECONOMICS OF EXTINCTION
Reported Statistics in East Africa carried out by Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute – TAWIRI
Overall Population has declined by 60% in 5 years:
2009
2014
Most dramatic decline in southern Tanzania
SELOUS – MIKUMI
2006 – 55,000 (estimated)
2009 – 39,000 (estimated)
2014 – 15,217
RUAHA-RUNGWA
2013 – 20,009 (estimate)
2014 – 8,272 (estimate)
ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
2009 – 100
2014 – 200
KATAVI-RUKWA
Current estimate 6,396
In the Selous-Mikumi and Ruaha-Rungwa Reserves, the “carcass ratio” which is a number used to assess the death rates within populations, indicated that elephants were dying at four times the natural rate
Since 2009, at least 45 tonnes of ivory have reached the international black market from Tanzania – Africa is the largest source of poached ivory.