As part of our #Otherfinds launch campaign we have interviewed several streetwear brands to gain an insight into their brands and their experience within the streetwear community, first up is Luluna:
Can you tell us a bit about your brand?
Thank you so much for considering me to be apart of your campaign!
I’m Lucy and I started my brand Luluna in November 2019 after I moved to Australia from home in Dublin. I was unhappy working as a Nurse so I returned to college to study a short Fashion Design degree and moved to Australia straight after. Since then it’s been just me working behind the scenes and it will continue that way until I grow a bit and can get some help! When I started my brand I knew it had to be clothing that would make women incredibly fierce in...confident, bold. I started with festival and swim wear pieces made of stretch materials but the weight of climate change and our precious planet soon felt heavy on me so I decided to make the change to streetwear, made solely of natural and organic materials like cotton, linen, bamboo, etc. Luluna now creates cool clothes for the eco-conscious customer, using loud prints and colourful designs to make you stand out from the crowd. Made with quality to last beyond many wears.
Where/when would you say you realised that you wanted to create/be involved in a brand that in some way moves towards ethical involvement?
I think my passion for making a change on this planet, and my anxiety around it, came on quite gradually. It wasn’t a snap realisation. Waste and pollution in the fashion industry was something we focused on a lot in college and I learned a lot then about the negligence in production factories, mistreatment of workers and the horrendous working conditions they experience every day. It really struck a chord with me, but I don’t think it was for another few months that I did some deep diving into it all and made gradual changes like purchase compostable mailer bags, abandoned use of artificial materials like the polyester for my swimwear, and started doing more research into the factories I source fabric from. There’s a lot to learn and there are so many aspects to being an ethical brand, I think the best way to do it is slowly and surely.
What are some of the hardships that you feel you are potentially faced with when being involved in an ethically focused brand?
Good question! Tough question! Haha. I have learned an insane amount since promising Luluna would be an ethical brand. There is so much in the world that is bad. There are a lotttt of things that I feel restricted from. Partially because I’m working alone right now, but also because of my morals too. For example - I would love to have accessories on my shop like hats and bags and things that I wouldn’t be able to make myself, but outsourcing them from a factory local to me, with aligning values is difficult to find and very expensive. I won’t allow myself to outsource from many places, like China, Bangladesh, India. I’m unfamiliar with the workers’ rights there and I simply don’t want to risk mistreatment of workers for any goods that I sell. I also would love to have more glitzy, sparkly packaging, but waste-free is difficult to achieve, the more glamorous it is. I see so many product-based brands on Instagram, selling out on launch day. A lot of them sell clothing or products that were made in huge factories abroad. So this is disheartening to see, and so so difficult to not compare to when my sales are slow. But I know I’m doing the right thing for the world and I am proud of that :)
What is the most rewarding thing about ethical streetwear to you?
Definitely how individual the pieces are. Small brands always have more character than what you’d see on the high streets, more originality and variety. Brands of similar size to mine also can only manufacture so many garments, so I think it’s very cool to think there is only 10-20 people wearing my Marlene pants for example. I make clothes for women that want to stand out from the crowd, so I think the limited quantities really adds to making them special. If you buy from my brand you’ll have a high quality garment that will last you years, that’s been designed and handmade from scratch at home in my little apartment. It will be sent to you in home-compostable and recyclable packaging with sweets and a hand-written note. I, and many other business owners I’ve connected with, put so much love into every order and we genuinely dance when we get a new one. You may not see it all as the customer but that for me is so rewarding. There is no harm done in the production, no mistreatment of workers, minimal waste and pollution, and a genuine person behind it all. You just don’t get that from Amazon or Asos.
What is your favourite ‘other find’?
It would have to be my two-tone pants! I got them at a market recently from a stall that reworks and handmakes vintage pieces. The pants are made from two pairs of men’s trousers, one leg beige and one leg black. They’ve been upcycled into a really cool piece that I love!
Catch up with Luluna on their platforms:
Website: Lulunadesign.com
Instagram: @luluna.design
TikTok: @lulunadesign