INTERVIEW #82 ALUNA
Based in: Helsinki
Founded in: 2020
Founded by: Elena Fadul & Lari Elovainio
Stores: Webshop at www.aluna.fi, shipping worldwide and pop-ups.
Price range: 79€ – 1000€
Hi Elena & Aluna, we are so happy about having you and your beautiful brand here on A Sustainable Closet. Tell us about your story and why you started Aluna?
Thank you A Sustainable Closet for the opportunity. It is an honour to be here. Aluna is my way to give back to my people. I come from Colombia and as you probably know, the first thing in people’s minds when they hear the word Colombia is not exactly arts and crafts.
When I was studying Luxury Management in France, I realized that the backbone of the luxury industry is artisan work so I started thinking about a way to raise awareness and bring visibility and value to the very talented artisans that we have in Colombia. The country is spectacularly diverse. Arts, crafts and handmade objects are found everywhere.
We work with indigenous master artisans and we are particularly focused on cultural preservation, which is why all of our products carry the ancient symbology found originally in cave paintings that are preserved by the communities through handmade objects to this day. Fair and consented commercialization of indigenous objects creates a ripple effect: artisans receive a fair income, which allows them to stay in their territory while encouraging younger generations to take part in cultural preservation by learning and practising their crafts.
However, cultural and craft preservation is something that is not unique to Colombia. In Finland, for example, crafts are also being lost, but for other reasons, people don’t always want to learn a craft and carry it on, labour is too expensive, it is cheaper to outsource, etc. So, as we are a Finnish company and are based in Helsinki, we have decided to mix Colombian and Finnish crafts whenever possible. Our upcoming fall collection will be handmade in Colombia and Finland, for example.
We know that you're a transparent brand and are just like many other brands, on a journey to become even more sustainable, how are you working with sustainability today?
To us, sustainability is the absolute core of our every move and it has been a two-year project to build a value chain that we can trace from the source. To us, sustainability needs to be paired with responsibility, ethics, dignity and respect. If you respect what you do, how you do it and with whom you do it, then you start thinking about all the things that you need to fix to be truly respectful of others and the planet. And this is something that we have learned from our indigenous colleagues. We are one with the planet and if we don’t respect our mother, the Earth, then she will wipe us out. So, to us, it is unthinkable not to be sustainable. That being said, our sustainability efforts encompass different aspects. We holistically approach sustainability.
First, we work in direct cooperation with all of our artisan partners, so we know exactly who made what. Each product comes identified with the name of its maker, the materials used, the amount of labour needed to produce one piece, etc.
It is really important for us to give visibility to the makers, because we have completely lost touch with how clothes and accessories are manufactured thanks to the fast fashion industry. It also helps to understand why the product costs what it costs, and why it should be valued and cherished. We hope that our customers understand these things and will value our objects and pass them on like family heirlooms instead of throwing them away.
Second, are the materials. We trace absolutely everything and when we cannot, we start taking action to change the materials. For example, we are in the process of switching all of our metal parts from ordinary silver to 100% recovered silver from X-rays.
The third and final aspect of our sustainable practices is logistics. We want to minimize as much as possible shipping and moving stuff around unnecessarily. So we try to source and produce everything we need from either Colombia or Finland. Our packaging is plastic free, we use certified cardboard boxes, etc. Our shipping is carbon compensated and we donate a percentage of our proceeds to reforestation projects through Stripe, our online payment manager.
Additionally, we produce small, made-to-order batches and we produce timeless and high-quality pieces that stand the test of time so that you keep them with you for a long, long time.
How and where are the products produced, and where do you source the material from?
As previously mentioned, our products are produced primarily in Colombia. We work with four indigenous associations from four different indigenous nations:
The Wayúu: known as “the people of the sand and sea”. They are the largest indigenous nation in South America. They live between Colombia and Venezuela. Traditional Wayúu weaving is included in the UNESCO world heritage listing as a craft for peacebuilding. Wayúu weaving also carries a protected denomination of origin, making genuine Wayúu-made pieces true works of art. We work with an association of 35 Wayúu women weavers from Colombia, most of them are the primary breadwinners in their families. Each bag is woven by one single woman for about a month and carries the ancient symbology that usually depicts the environment, tools or important traditions found in the community.
The Emberā-Chamí: known as “the people of the mountain”. They live in central Colombia and probably came from Panamá to settle in the mountains during the Spanish invasion. They also maintain their culture practically intact, speak their native language and still maintain their traditions such as clothes and facial paintings. The Emberā-Chamí are extremely skilled at beaded jewellery. The necklaces carry a particularly important significance for the women of the community. The bigger the necklace, the more respected she is. Each colour and each pattern has a very specific meaning too. All of our beaded jewellery is made using Miyuki Delica or Rocailles glass beads. Miyuki is a Japanese brand and is produced only there. They are like the Swarovski of glass beads. A really good quality and calibrated (same size) product, which allows us to produce jewellery that is light and with very sharp patterns. The hardware is made with recovered sterling silver from X-rays.
The Muisca or Chibchas are an indigenous group that inhabited the territory where Colombia’s modern-day capital Bogotá is located. They were once one of the biggest and best-organized confederations of tribes on the South American continent. The Muisca were practically extinct after the Spanish invasion, however, today Muisca descendants are dedicated to reappropriating their culture, religion, traditions and language. Perhaps the most famous contribution of the Muisca people to the world is the famous El Dorado legend. We work hand in hand with a Muisca goldsmith atelier, producing by hand all of our silver pieces. We focus on continuing the great legacy of pre-Hispanic gold work and on recovering ancient techniques that do not require the use of toxic substances such as mercury.
The Pastos are an indigenous group relatively close to the Inca. They share similarities in terms of language – Kichwa – and in terms of traditions and religions. For example, the celebration of Inti Raymi – the summer solstice. They live between south Colombia and northern Ecuador. The Pastos were great astronomers and today their knowledge is carefully woven on vertical handlooms with a highly symbolic value. The symbology represents the celestial vault, the four seasons and the four cardinal points, among other things. We work with a women-led Pastos corporation that gathers 27 artisans. Our pieces are hand spun, hand dyed and hand-woven in 100% Colombian raw silk or locally sourced sheep wool. Sheep are herded inside the indigenous reservation and taken care of by the members of the community.
One thing worth mentioning, and this applies to all the associations that we work with, is that all of the artisans weave from home. The activity is part of their cultural identity, so after they have taken care of their chores and daily lives, they weave. They do not practice a 9-5 day or are employed by factories. All of the associations are self-managed and the artisans decide how to divide and spend the income among all of the members. We pay per piece woven, so we don’t have wholesale prices for example. One piece or 100 pieces cost us the same as they take the same amount of time and effort to produce.
In addition, we work with an Afro-Colombian women-led artisan association for sourcing our silk. The women have dedicated their lives to sericulture and are pioneers in Colombia in silk production. Additionally, they protect native forests through their work.
Your best-selling product?
Our best-selling product is our beaded jewellery, with bracelets and earrings being the most coveted pieces.
Where do you find inspiration?
Our design process is a bit special. As I said we do not intervene in the patterns. Those are millenary and symbolical, so we leave those to the makers. They choose what to weave depending on what is calling to them. Our input comes through the cool colour palette, the shape, the size of the product and course, and the materials used.
What have been and are the major challenges?
The most challenging aspect has been getting the supply chain traceability where we want it to be. And of course, convincing people that what you are doing is worth it.
What has been and are the largest gain?
The most rewarding aspect of starting Aluna has been spending time with the communities. Learning other ways of living, other ways of producing. Rediscovering philosophies of life and values that are seldom talked about in modern books. We have visited every community, we know the artisans by name and have built a respectful relationship with them. We met people who are committed to their art with a passion, are fantastically talented, hard-working, disciplined, honest and perseverant and most importantly proud of who they are and deeply committed to strengthening their communities, reappropriating their culture and fighting against oblivion.
What do you think needs to change in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
Well, I think the change that needs to happen, needs to happen in consumers’ minds. Consumer expectations, for example, we have gotten so used to having clothes and other accessories for cheap and as long as there is demand for cheap products, there will be supply. We need to take real action, consume less and question EVERYTHING. Ask for proof of provenance down to the farm. Let’s not be satisfied with the boilerplate answers given to us. Another thing is to remember that we are all connected. There cannot be real sustainability without social justice. Let’s not disassociate ourselves from those without a voice. Let’s make sure that our practices are beneficial for all involved in the supply chain and in the long term. As consumers we have the power to change things, but only if we truly care.
Watch this speech by Elena talking about empathy, connectedness and the power of consumption:
The best thing about Aluna?
The best about Aluna, besides its colourful and bold patterns, is that people can shop from us with peace of mind. We are truly proud of the efforts that we are making and will keep on doing regarding traceability. Our objects are beautiful inside and outside and our clients can wear them with pride.
What's up next?
We are preparing a very special launch for fall winter.
