Pura Vida’s co-founders Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman have remained committed to giving back since the brand launched in 2010. Ten years ago, Griffin and Paul encountered two artisans crafting bracelets by hand on the beach in Costa Rica. In an effort to help the artisans, they purchased 400 bracelets to sell at home. Today, Pura Vida works with over 800 artisans worldwide (including the original two from Costa Rica), providing them with a steady income and positive work environment thanks to the incredible support of Pura Vida’s passionate and engaged fanbase (the brand has over 2M Instagram followers). The brand is also passionate about protecting the environment, and packages all products in biodegradable bags that break down after 180 days when buried.
The team at Pura Vida has continued to utilize its social media platform over the years, partnering with over 185 charities to raise over $2.4M for causes that their community cares about.
Giving Back: Giving back is rooted in Pura Vida’s brand DNA. Pura Vida has partnered with over 185 charities to-date, donating over $2.4 million to various causes spanning animal protection, environmental efforts, humanitarian causes, and health awareness. Pura Vida promotes its on-going charity bracelet collection (where each bracelet donates a portion of proceeds to its corresponding charity) on their social media channels reaching over 2M Instagram followers and spreading awareness for many charity organizations.
Emergency Support: Pura Vida leverages their social following to respond quickly to emergency situations. Their Hurricane Dorian Relief Bracelet, Amazon Rainforest Fire Relief Bracelet, and Australian Fire Relief all sold out in under 24 hours donating $20K+ to each cause, further aligning the brand with causes their community cares about. Most recently, Pura Vida launched a campaign, raising $200k for Feeding America (which provided 2M meals) during the month of April 2020.
Educational Resources: In June 2020, Pura Vida donated $100k to the NAACP in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Pura Vida also used their platform to spread awareness for the cause and provide educational resources, specifically highlighting the importance of Juneteenth and linking to content where their staff and followers could learn more.
Ambassador Program: As the Pura Vida Bracelets brand evolved, Paul and Griffin began to recognize the impact that social media could have on a brand’s trajectory and decided to spearhead a program that would allow them to capitalize on its reach. Identifying and empowering a group of micro-influencers that were true fans of the brand, they created an Ambassador Program, which enabled them to organically build a powerful and authentic presence on social media. Pura Vida leverages this program, made up of 130k ambassadors, to share news about their charity partnerships, emergency support, and ongoing giveback campaigns to maximize their reach
Uplifting Content: At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pura Vida worked closely with its existing network of influencers to create new content that would provide inspiration and joy to its mainly Gen-Z audience during an uncertain time. For the first ten days of April, Pura Vida launched an IGTV campaign #PVGoesLive, where different influencers took over the brand’s channel to share inspiration, indoor activities, and wellness tips with Pura Vida’s followers
By actively listening to the feedback from its Gen-Z following, Pura Vida Bracelets continues to push forward as the most engaged brand in the jewelry category. With over 2M followers and 130K brand ambassadors, Pura Vida has stayed true to its mission – to cultivate a strong community and encourage followers to participate in the optimistic, glass-half-full Pura Vida lifestyle, which they’ve strategically maintained even during a time of crisis. Their huge reach on social media has allowed them to collaborate with like-minded celebrities and top companies such as Colton Underwood, Charli D'Amelio, LaurDIY, Aspyn Ovard, Hydroflask, Vans, and Mario Badescu.
Their strategic approach within their charity partnerships has allowed them to give back over $2.4 million total to communities in need.
