Welcome to
Sol Luna Atelier
Our own local atelier in The Dominican Republic
What is Sol Luna Atelier?
Sol Luna Atelier is our very own atelier where we are able to complete multiple steps in our production process, right here in La Vega, Dominican Republic. We work together with local craftsmen and women to bring our FREEDOM pieces to life.
The following steps are completed at the atelier:
∙ Product design
∙ Patternmaking
∙ Cutting
∙ Sewing
∙ Finishing and detailing
∙ Dyeing and washing
∙ Final inspection
∙ Order and shipping preparations
How it all started
Sustainability is a lifestyle for us, starting inside as a deep concern for equilibrium.
Back in 2017 we came up to the realisation of our impact as individuals and as a brand so once you create awareness and become conscious about something, you can’t unsee it, you are now fully responsible for the consequences of your acts whether you like it or not. So that same year we decided to shift our whole dynamic to a more balanced and eco friendly one opting to evolve alongside our projects as a reflection of where we are at personally.
At the end of 2017 we made a promise to ourselves and our customers to change to more sustainable, conscious practices based on the circular economy. We also decided to produce not a single piece more until we successfully redesign our entire supply chain to one more in alignment with our improved vision and mission as a brand and as sensible beings.
It was very challenging, to say the least, we could clearly see how the stock was lowering rapidly and there for the sales too since we were not restocking anything. It started getting scary to a point where people started telling us to go back to production with the same old practices we were trying to leave behind, even ourselves in desperate moments considered to break our promise but then we reminded ourselves why we made it in the first place. Our love for nature is unconditional and vice versa, something of this World but not from this World. This love lights up the way for us to follow so we trusted the process through thick and thin… in the darkest moments we could literally feel how a higher intelligence guided us out of doubts and into the next step. This whole journey toward sustainability represents our firm commitment with our truth, our values and what we stand for.
We are here to help preserve that which we love and pass it on for others to live it as well.
Even though the rentability of the brand was way lower than previous years during 2018-2020 we made some adjustments to keep it alive through its metamorphosis.
Our Approach
Reinventing the entire supply chain to a more sustainable one was just the beginning, once we nailed it (not to brag but we met the most amazing suppliers out there and they keep appearing, thanks God cause it wasn’t a piece of pie) we realized it wasn’t enough. We got some awesome materials from natural and recycled sources yes, but it didn’t seemed right to create with them in a space that didn’t recognize nor appreciate this so instead of outsourcing the production again, we decided to build our own place from scratch, a creative sanctuary in tune with our frequency.
It took us 3 years to complete this transition into an eco-friendly brand, challenging but so fun and worth it! Surprisingly we finished and moved in to the new atelier 1 week before the pandemic lockdown started in our country at the beginning of 2020… on divine timing, we already had everything we needed before the prices tripled and businesses closed.
We took this time to integrate this new version, to indulge in it before sharing it with the rest of the World. The swimwear demand decreased noticeably so we came up with an eco-mask collection made of hemp and recycled plastic fabric, the same materials we ordered for the swimwear collection we were suppose to launch that year but it didn’t happen until Summer 2021. This was such a test for us, but you know what they say when life gives you lemons… the truth is, creating the eco-mask was just what we needed at the moment, we didn’t required a team for that so we both handled it solo at the beginning, it felt like the perfect warm up.
Something extraordinary happened during the pandemic at Sol Luna Atelier, we felt called to start growing our own food organically in the surroundings, so with permaculture an bio~construction as our allies we now provide ourselves, the people we work with and our families with fresh greens and produce, an inspiring environment to be, create, work and play at, with a flexible and enriching dynamic, teaching them about sustainable practices by example, sharing and learning from each other and nature.
Now
Sustainability is progressive, we believe this by observing nature aka the Queen of sustainability. She is always reinventing herself, optimizing her ways, adapting and embracing change as improvement, ugh she’s a genius!
This is the path we chose, it's infinite really. So we’ll keep coming up with better ways to do it. For now we’ve achieved some pretty cool stuff like working only with natural and recycled sourced materials from the closest suppliers in Latin & North America and West Europe. Here you can learn more about the materials we're using.
We now have our own creative eco-friendly space built from scratch, sustainably, in a mountain, where every piece of garment is born, made by locals in small batches at our own pace.
Zero waste production, all the leftovers from the paper for the patterns to the tiniest fabric scraps we collect and reuse in future projects which we’ll share more about soon.
We are bringing back ancestral hand crafting techniques to our community and the world, a great way to connect with our roots. We are also collaborating with local artisans and brands that are doing the same. This way it can grow exponentially.
The preservation of the ecosystem around the atelier has been a priority since it all started. Planting trees, natives, wild flowers for the pollinators while maintaining the originals of course. It’s a symbiotic relationship where we prosper by rendering benefits to others.
What's next
So much more awesomeness its unfolding for FREEDOM and we do have some expectations yet they are always far exceeded when we meet face to face with the possibilities and the unknown without attachment so we can only give you some previews for now.
We will start working with clean energy soon (solar or wind, who knows) by 2023 or before.
Collecting rainwater for personal and industrial use (it rains quite much here in the tropics) the gray water will be properly treated with a zero emission method (actually it reduces CO2 emissions, yes you guessed it, we’ll use plants) to be reused. By 2023 or before.
The bathroom will be dry, no water needed for the toilet. Instead of wasting and contaminating this precious resource with our crap we’ll save it for more intelligent purposes, we’ll compost the matter instead, ending the cycle. By 2022 or after.
Using electric or zero emission transportation only for our deliveries and personal life as well by 2022 or after.
Whatever God has in store for us ✨