Q&A with Taluna

For those who haven’t heard of you and your label, can you introduce yourself?

My name is Jessica Conlan, everyone calls me Jess. I’m the Founder and Owner of Taluna. I launched Taluna on September 3rd 2020 - amid lockdowns and studying full-time at uni. Taluna is predominantly a women’s wear label, but with that said many of my guy friends and family love to wear our hoodies because they are SO comfy and also very minimalistic. Taluna is all about comfort, high quality, elevated and timeless designs to last a lifetime. 

What is your fashion background? Have you studied in this industry before? Have you always had an eye for trends/aesthetics?

Fashion subjects weren’t offered at the school I went to, so studying fashion, let alone owning a fashion label was never on my radar. 

I started my journey in the fashion industry at RMIT studying for an associate degree in Fashion Design & Technology. This taught me the foundations of the industry and how fashion is created from start to finish. From concept - to design - to pattern-making - and to physically hand-making the product. I started Taluna during the final trimester of my fashion studies which then sparked my desire to learn more about the marketing side of running a business. I then went into studying Business Marketing in Fashion at Collarts, which helped me further understand the marketing and business aspects of Taluna. 

Jessica at Taluna’s launch party

Can you tell me the story behind the name ‘Taluna’?

One of my family dogs is named ‘Luna’ which is what I was going to call my brand, however, I wanted to create something unique that no one else had thought of. I played around with words and letters for a while and thought Taluna sounded perfect. I think it sounds feminine and soft which speaks to me. 

Your work is rather simplistic making it suitable for anyone and everyone, yet your products like the knitted tank and matching sets are so unique. Is this intentional and why did you decide to do this?

I think all of my designs and products are simplistic, yet elevated and unique through subtle design details, craftsmanship or textured fabrics. 

I started Taluna by releasing a four-piece silk top collection which was all handmade by me. I then went into hand-making and releasing several other products, however, whilst these performed well, they didn’t appeal to a wide audience. In lockdown of 2021, I decided to release a hoodie since that’s all we seemed to be living in at the time and 100 hoodies sold out in 4 minutes. Since then, I have released nine different hoodies in a range of colours - all requested and decided on by my community/ customers, which have been super popular and taken the business to the next level. So to answer your question - to have a range of unique handmade pieces and a range of loungewear that seem so different - it wasn’t intentional or planned that way, but I love that I’ve been able to appeal to a wider range of people and have so many amazing, loyal customers as a result. 

Can you describe the design process behind your popular hoodies? Where did this unique design come from? 

I am quite an indecisive person and I struggle to decide on something, especially when it comes to designs. 

I love to get inspiration from Pinterest, but mostly my ideas spark from my style and the things I would like to wear. I love simplistic designs that are understated and elevated in their simplicity. Our Best Selling Hoodie - the Signature Hoodie, features a really beautiful cursive font which is elevated through the quality of the embroidered stitching. 

Whilst aesthetics and designs are important, I would say the quality and craftsmanship of our products are my number one. 

Your designs have been worn by such influential people - has there ever been a moment/event that has been a highlight so far?

The first ‘influential’ people that come to mind are the many inspiring friends and family I have around me that are constantly supporting me and doing whatever they can to help. Every single person, no matter who they are, that I see wearing Taluna fills me with so much happiness and gratitude. I can’t even explain the feeling. ESPECIALLY when I see you wearing Taluna in person, I cannot stop smiling. 

With the immense issue of unethical standards/practices throughout the fashion industry, what is your stance on this and how do you try/plan to fight against this?

There are so many issues that need addressing within the fashion industry, so I’ll touch on several different issues I aim to make a difference in; 

• All handmade items such as our much loved Sophie Top are all hand made to order, meaning there is no product wastage or over-production, we only produce what customers purchase. 

• I like to source dead-stock fabrics, to help reduce textile wastage within the industry 

• Our hoodies and loungewear pieces are made in small and limited quantities to avoid wastage and over-production. 

• Our pieces remain simplistic and understated to last the test of time and not follow short-lived trends

• For our packaging we use Recycled Mailers, 100% Compostable Tissue Paper and Stickers, all printed with Soy-Based Inks. 

Do you have plans for another drop/future collection? Will we see a different avenue for Taluna?

I have plans to keep producing limited pieces locally here in Melbourne and expand our ‘Melbourne Made’ range. We also have a new hoodie colour coming very very soon, which all my neutral colour lovers out there will love. 

If you could pick out your favourite product by Taluna so far what would it be?

Ooooo hard question! I would have to say our absolute essential - Signature Marle Grey Hoodie - it’s our Best Seller too! It is so thick and warm and goes with everything! A must-have basic for your winter wardrobe!! I also adore the Sophie Top; my first design ever and it’s handmade with love. 

Check out Taluna here.