Like many women, I absolutely love fashion and I believe clothes can make you feel beautiful and confident. However after learning about the negative impact the fashion industry had on the environment, people and animals I wanted to make a change to start my own sustainable, ethical and cruelty-free label.
The most dreamy of dresses
I'm over the moon with my dresses and Teshani was so lovely work with. They have great movement and feel very well made I look forward to wearing it soon. Thank you so much!!!
Ariel B
So beautiful! I love my Shanti blouses.
They are very well made, and fit really well. And the balloon sleeves are just stunning! The multi print is such a beautiful design. It’s perfect for work, casual catch ups or a night out 💕 thanks Luna and Sun xoxo
Nicole C
So obsessed with Luna + Sun!
I am in love with this dress! It is a beautiful quality and such a flattering fit. The green colour is gorgeous and i love that there are no zips or buttons, perfectly sustainable! I ordered a size too small and a size exchange was quickly sorted out for me. So impressed
Yasmine M
Blog written by Katey Knight
Mindful shopping. Is that even a thing?
Research says it is as more shoppers swap a fast-fashion mindset of last-minute purchases and impulse buys for a more conscious style of shopping.
If you haven’t heard the term Fast Fashion, it describes the quick, bulk production of items on a mass scale. These items are easy on the wallet, but their impacts on the environment and the people who made them are huge.
Lots of clothes born from fast-fashion end up in landfill, and often, unethical and poor working conditions are at play for the people working behind the scenes to make it all possible. And let’s not forget the carbon footprint that comes from large-scale factories using fast fashion practices.
Lots of clothes end up in landfill
Let’s clarify. Onaverage, each Australian dumps an estimated 23 kg of textiles into landfill each year. That’s a lot of last-minute frocks that might have served a purpose for one event before heading straight to the clothing graveyard for an untimely burial.
Luna + Sun founder, Teshani McManus is passionately working towards making Slow Fashion – which is the exact opposite way of producing clothes – an established practice in the Australian sustainable fashion scene. She recently spoke to ABC radio about this, you can check it outhere.
Luna + Sun proudly uses sustainable and ethically sourced fabrics, such aslinen, along with zero waste packaging and works alongside companies to improve ethical practices behind the clothes-making scene, like Mantua Sewing, which helps improve worker conditions among migrant and refugee workers.
Teshani hopes her label’s commitment to improving the Australian sustainable fashion culture gives people food for thought about where they spend their next fashion shopping dollar.
“Ethically made clothing, especially Australian made, does come at a higher price point, but, when you shop for ethical fashion, you not only get a beautiful item that is made to last, you can rest assured that no person has suffered to make this item,” says Teshani.
While buying sustainable pieces is an investment, the quality of these garments speaks for themselves. If you listen closely enough, you might even hear them pleading, ‘I’m helping make the world a better place, please don’t toss me out!” in your next wardrobe cleanse (if your clothes guilt-talk you, that is).
But if you find that it’s time to move a piece on and it’s served its purpose, your pre-loved clothing can always find a new home, like at Luna and Sun Vintage which Teshani will soon launch for her label.
At Luna and Sun they also use off-cut fabrics from their design process to make fashionable headwear and other accessories. A heady way to have a positive impact, don’t you think?
From headbands to scrunchies, it’s a sure way to get your head in the game of Australian sustainable fashion and make a difference. “Every small change we make really has a huge impact in the long term. Instead of buying 20 items from a fast fashion brand, why not invest in one item from a sustainable brand that will last you for years to come,” says Teshani.
Mindful shopping is definitely a thing.
As it becomes a priority for shoppers looking beyond a fast-fashion quick fix, with the help of labels like Luna + Sun, we’ll all be one step closer to pushing the fashion industry down a brighter, greener path.
Are you growing a tiny human inside your tummy? While that's a beautiful experience, it's not an easy task. You're busy focusing on everything from taking the right vitamins to drinking prenatal tea and eating an organic diet to give your growing bundle of joy the best possible start to life.
Whilst you're excitedly documenting everything - including your expanding belly, another part of you is having a low-key panic moment about your pants no longer doing up. And since you're all about living a conscious lifestyle, you've been trying to make your existing wardrobe last as long as possible, but things are getting pretty tight now. It's tricky because you're not keen to spend money on unsustainable and unethical maternity clothes that you'll only use for a few months and then shove to the depth of your wardrobe either.
So, if you haven't already, we're here to permit you to put away clothes that no longer adapt to your changing body, support your desire to wear natural materials that do and introduce you to Luna + Sun's new maternity range.
Made from sustainable materials and free from toxic chemicals, the baby bump and motherhood-friendly tops and pants are here to support you through pregnancy and beyond.
We're an Australian made sustainable clothing label from Brisbane that's about empowering women in all walks of life, especially those entering motherhood. Teshani McManus, the founder and creative director, launched the label in 2019 while discovering she was pregnant with her daughter. Now, three years on, and with an adorable toddler by her side, she's launching a maternity range.
"If there is ever a time in your life where you deserve extra support and comfort, it's when [you're] pregnant and after birth."
- Teshani, Luna + Sun founder and creative director
Seeing a lack of sustainable maternity clothes looking for them herself, especially after going through a difficult birth and lengthy recovery, Teshani knew it was her calling to create what she was missing - comfortable and sustainable maternity clothing.
It's not only about creating sustainable products but about offering the Luna + Sun community investment maternity products that enhance every woman's motherhood journey. For example, Teshani says the new maternity range tops are "designed to help you feel more comfortable when breastfeeding in public", and maternity pants give new mums extra comfort after a c-section or birth. It's all about ensuring your new maternity wardrobe adapts to your lifestyle - not the other way around.
You've probably noticed that most maternity clothes are stretchy. This means they contain Spandex or Elastane, a synthetic (non-natural) material made from plastic and isn't breathable or sustainable. But Luna + Sun's sustainable maternity clothing is made entirely from natural fabrics, such as organic cotton and linen, making it one of the few Aussie maternity brands to do so. All the eco-friendly materials help reduce your environmental footprint, so you can wear them without feeling guilty.
It's about the entire process of how a garment is made. From how the fabric is created to the dyeing process to the sewing, Luna + Sun knows where their clothes come from and who made them. When you purchase a Luna + Sun product, you know that the woman who made your garment was paid a fair living wage, so by wearing a Luna + Sun sustainable maternity clothing, you know that you're supporting human rights and helping to reduce your fashion carbon footprint.
Clothing can be very sentimental. A pair of 'maternity' pants or a shirt you invest in during your pregnancy can be a beautiful reminder of such a transformational period of your life. You can keep wearing the piece beyond pregnancy and into motherhood and carry with you fond memories of when you were cooking your baby. Our intention behind the new sustainable maternity clothing range is to make it part of your 'forever' wardrobe, so you can keep wearing it again, and again, and again.
We invite you to explore the new sustainable maternity collectionhere.
Written by Evelina Kaganovitch
With Plastic Free July in full swing we recently spoke to Larissa and Ash who are the co-founders of Plastic Free Gold Coast to share with you some easy tips to reducing plastic and living more sustainably.
Here's a bit about these two powerhouses who are expert's when it comes to living more sustainably.
Larissa is a sustainability blogger at Eat Yourself Green. She is a new mom, marketing expert, and co-founder of Plastic Free Gold Coast where she works with the local community to reduce plastic consumption and waste, providing education and helpful resources. She’s always mindful of keeping sustainability accessible to all while also making sure she creates less waste and lives consciously with her new family on the Gold Coast. You can follow her on @eatyourselfgreen on Instagram.
Ashleigh Stallard is a sustainable living advocate, waste warrior and the founder of Shift, a hub for living lightly.
Ash is passionate about showing others the beauty and ease of conscious consumption - with a little bit of activism thrown in there too! She regularly shares inspiring, simple ways everyone can be a mindful consumer and citizen of earth.
Ash is a co-founder of the community group Plastic Free Gold Coast, and with her background in journalism and PR hosted their Wavemakers podcast and expert panel discussion on the future of food.
By day, Ash is the community and relationships manager with The Finders Keepers, Australia's leading design marketplace.
Ash is hopeful she will get to be part of a future where every choice is a sustainable one. You can follow Ash at @shift_style on Instagram.
1. Buy and use less.
This may seem like a no-brainer but it's the essential first step to lowering our impact as consumers. You will be surprised how much plastic waste AND money you can save just by asking “do I really need this?”
It’s not about depriving yourself, but about simplifying and seeing what really offers value to your life and brings you joy - and it allows you to get more creative if you want to find a waste-free alternative!
Examples and swaps:
Plastic wrapped paper towels can be replaced with old clothes and towels cut up as rags. Use, wash and repeat!
Cling wrap can easily be replaced by using things you already have: sealed containers, jars, a bowl with a plate over it, or a washable wax wrap.
By choosing secondhand first, and saying yes to pre-loved, we are massively reducing plastic, packaging and resources overall.
Have you ever purchased new furniture or whitegoods and seen how much plastic wrapping, foam, styrofoam and cardboard comes with just one item? By trawling the secondhand market we’re avoiding all that waste being created AGAIN just so we can also get that item. Plus we’re keeping things useful for longer, saving them from landfill, reducing the demand on virgin materials, and saving heaps of cash!
Examples:
We love to check out op shops, garage sales, even curbside collection for freebies, as well as online pre-loved sites like Marketplace (choose a small radius so you drive less for pickups!), Rosella St, Gumtree, eBay (under ‘Condition’ select ‘Used’ so you’re only searching secondhand), Poshmark and Depop for clothing and accessories.
3. Shop at farmers markets.
By default there is usually far less packaging at farmers markets, with more fruit and veg sold loose. Stall owners are also usually more than happy to accept your clean, dry containers for things like tofu, fish, meat and your brekky from the food trucks.
Examples:
We love finding produce like cherry tomatoes, strawberries and blueberries loose per kilo, so we can scoop into our own produce bags and avoid those pesky plastic punnets!
Our big market bags contain plenty of light-weight produce bags, calico bags for bulk dry goods and bottles for things like olive oil or honey (more markets have stalls like these now), containers for things like tofu, a reusable coffee cup and our own water bottle.
4. Join the Reuse Revolution!
Refilling your own containers is a game changer when it comes to your waste-less journey. If you’ve never shopped at a bulk foods store, you truly are missing out! The staff are always more than happy to help you, just bring your clean containers, jars and bags from home and they will help you weigh them ready for refill.
Examples:
Stock up on pantry staples from flour to nuts, oils, teas, chocolate and honey at stores like The Source Bulk Foods or Naked Foods, and when you try out Tip #5 below, refill your DIY ingredients too!
5. Try some simple DIYs.
Making your own products will not only save plastic packaging, but you will learn new skills, be mindful while slowing down, reduce the toxins you are exposed to, know exactly what you’re using, AND you’ll save heaps of money in the long run (is this a bit of a theme in this post?!).
Examples and swaps:
We love to DIY deodorant with basic pantry staples including corn flour, oil and bicarb soda.
Another basic swap - and another way to avoid plastic punnets - is to grow your own sprouts on your kitchen counter. No soil or green thumb required, just a jar, seeds and daily rinsing!
We hope these tips give you some inspiration during Plastic Free July.
Let us know in the comments below what changes you plan to make. Every small change really does have a huge impact.
Teshani xx
