Lombok Through Karissa Sparke’s Eyes | Sea Street Spring

For our latest Sea Street Spring campaign, we headed to the island of Lombok, Indonesia, bringing our new collection to life among its beaches, landscapes and laid-back island energy.

Behind the shoot was Karissa Sparke, a Byron Bay content creator, stylist and photographer who now splits her time between Australia and Lombok. Karissa styled the collection herself using pieces from her own wardrobe, connected us with talented local photographer Via, and ended up stepping in front of the camera as the face of the campaign too.

We caught up with Karissa to chat about her creative journey, life in Lombok, the local creative community, what happened behind the scenes on our Spring shoot and her favourite places to visit on the island.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do

I’m Karissa - I’m a content creator from Byron Bay, although I’m currently living between Australia and Lombok. I’ve been working in the fashion and social media space for over a decade, with a mix of photography, styling and content production. Weirdly, I’m probably still best known for my ear stacks.

These days, my latest baby is Tiny Waves, Big Feels Club — a surf retreat and growing community for women.

How did you first get into the creative industry, and what has your journey looked like so far?

I actually started a blog while I was studying Occupational Therapy at university. I’d always loved fashion and was craving a creative outlet alongside my studies, so I started putting together and styling shoots for my blog. Social media was starting to grow at the same time, and before I really knew what I was doing, the blog had turned into a career.

I’ve mostly worked for myself over the years, but I’ve also done freelance work across photography, styling and shoot production for different brands. I’ve always loved being involved in the whole process - not just creating the content, but working with a team and figuring out how to bring an idea or a creative vision to life.

As my own platforms grew, I started sharing more of my personal life and the things I was struggling with, particularly around mental health. I’ve always been someone who wears my heart on my sleeve, and I think at the time I was really craving connection. It felt surprisingly meaningful to realise that being honest about what I was going through could also make someone else feel a little less alone. That side of social media became really important to me.

Over time, my work has naturally evolved quite a bit, but that combination of creativity, storytelling and connection has stayed pretty constant.

What brought you to Lombok, and what made you want to spend time living there?

I first came to Lombok on a solo surf trip and kind of just fell in love with the place. I kind of felt like I met a different version of myself here, and there was something about the people and the pace of life that really stayed with me.

Island life has been a big lesson in surrender, simplicity and slowing down. All things I think I needed at the time, even if I didn’t realise it.

The surf is obviously pretty amazing, but the community I’ve found here is truly something special.

You helped us find our local photographer Via for this shoot and also ended up becoming the face of the campaign too! What do you love about Lombok’s creative community and working with local creatives?

I feel very grateful for the community I’ve created here, especially with my local friends and other creatives. Via is so talented and such a ray of sunshine in my life, so it was really special to be able to work together on this.

I think the thing that has really inspired and helped me is meeting people who kind of just try things - “just for fun” - whether that’s photography, surf photography, flying a drone, creating a brand of their own. There’s something about that willingness to give something a go, without needing to know where it’s going, that I really love.

I’m someone who can get very stuck in my head and sometimes let the fear of being bad at something, or failing, stop me from trying altogether. Being around people who are so willing to just have a go has really helped me with that. I think a lot of my local friends have inspired me to be a bit more curious, play more and not take everything quite so seriously.

Tell us about the Sea Street Spring shoot - was it smooth sailing or were there a few hurdles along the way?

I would say pretty smooth sailing, but what’s a photoshoot without a few hurdles?

I had a lot of fun styling the collection with pieces that I already have here, which made it feel really authentic to me.

The main hurdle we faced was that it was dry season, so there was a fair bit of wind - I think that is always a challenge, but with short hair probably even more difficult.

Also, it’s always an adventure seeing how many things a girl can possibly carry on her scooter. I do think I levelled up my local status a little bit on this shoot.

For anyone dreaming of a trip to Lombok - what are your must-do spots or favourite local recommendations?

The surf and beaches here are pretty amazing, so obviously those would be high on my list. A few of my personal favourites would be watching sunset at Josie’s Corner, dinner at Lalapan Amanda - Uncle Nano is maybe one of the happiest humans you’ll ever meet. And doing a workshop at Nine-Nine - such a beautiful way to connect with some of the traditional culture here.

My biggest recommendation, though, would be to remember that Indonesia is a majority Muslim country and having a little respect for the local culture goes a long way. Cover up when you’re off the beach - please don’t ride around on scooters or walk through towns, into cafes or restaurants shirtless or in a bikini. You can still be completely yourself while being respectful of the place you’re visiting.

And honestly, I’d leave some time to just explore. Hire a scooter, get a little lost, stop somewhere that looks good and see where you end up. Some of my favourite days here have been the ones with absolutely nothing planned.

Sea Street Spring 2026

Shot on location in Lombok, Indonesia, the Sea Street Spring campaign captures the feeling at the heart of the collection: colour, adventure, warm days and that feeling of being somewhere a little far from home.

Spring 2026 by Sea Street. Always On Holiday.