Nusa Indah : Surf, Style, and the Art of Making Waves

Surfboards rarely make their way from sun-soaked shores to the pages of Vogue. Then again, Jada Stanley has never been one to follow the tide. As the visionary behind Nusa Indah Surfboards, she’s transforming the humble board into something extraordinary — a seamless marriage of high-performance craftsmanship and artistry. Her recent collaboration pop-up with Moda Operandi proved just that. Amid champagne toasts and fashion forward croud, Stanley's Nusa Indah boards stood as a reminder that surfing isn’t only about the waves you ride — it’s about the life you live alongside them.

This past season, luxury retailer Moda Operandi turned the Brazilian Court — Palm Beach’s 1920s icon — into a sun-drenched fashion playground. Its secluded courtyards became stages for five days of designer showcases, cocktail soirées, and one impeccably curated pop-up shop. Picture raffia sandals tapping across tiled floors, linen dresses brushing against bougainvillea, and martinis served beneath the swaying palms — an effortless dance of style, leisure, and Palm Beach glamour.

And right at the entrance? A custom ocean-inspired Nusa Indah board, standing tall like a tropical totem, welcoming guests into the boutique. More than décor, it became the evening’s conversation starter — photographed, admired, and immediately Instagrammed.

It was the perfect stage for Jada Stanley’s surfboards, which have always been about more than the ride. Stanley’s creations exist at the intersection of craft and couture and have celebrated through collaborations with Le Sirenuse, Lulu DK, and Vogue.

Nusa Indah all began back in 2009, when Stanley, undertook an off the beaten path adventure in Indonesia and stumbled across a green floral batik fabric. On a whim, she wrapped her board in it. The result? A surfboard that looked as good on the beach as it did hanging on a wall. “My love affair with Indonesia gave me a taste for good waves and a love of textile design,” she says. “I see colour in seashells, patterns in tiles, even shapes in old crumbling walls.” One board later, she was on to something big.

Soon, surfers and stylists alike were clamouring for boards that felt less like sporting equipment and more like objects of art. And Stanley delivered — sourcing batik and silk textiles from her travels, creating surfboards with the same craftsmanship and flair as a couture gown.

Motherhood, if anything, made her vision clearer. “Everyone deserves their own space to express themselves,” she explains. “For me, that space has always been surfing. I wanted to hold on to that part of myself that was just mine — and take it out on the water.”

“Working with Vogue was a dream come true,”

Fast-forward, and Nusa Indah boards are now in the hands (and homes) of the fashion crowd, with collaborations spanning Le Sirenuse, Lulu DK, and The Cove Atlantis. Then came her ultimate pinch-me moment: a partnership with Vogue.

“Working with Vogue was a dream come true,” Stanley says, still in awe. She spent hours exploring their archives, finally landing on vintage illustrations by Salvador Dalí, Georges Lepape, and Eduardo Garcia Benito. “Each one had such a distinct rhythm. They felt like surfing — fleeting, bold, and full of life.”

 Find out more about Nusa Indah Surfboards at https://nusaindahsurfboards.com