Featured Maker // Mara Luna
Amarah Alexander
Mara Luna
Amarah Alexandra is the founder of holistic lifestyle brand, Mara Luna. Amarah started Mara Luna during the first lockdown as she wanted to put her textile design degree into practice. During her last year of university, Amarah developed a desire to create work with meaning that could deliver elements of wellbeing to others. Amarah’s final university project focussed on dealing with grief and the 5 stages that people commonly go through. This project was and still is really dear to Amarah’s heart and was the project that won the ‘innovative textile award’ at the ‘new designers exhibition’ in London. Amarah believes she received the award because of the emotion and meaning that she put into her collection and the connection people felt when admiring it.
From that day on, Amarah has only ever wanted to create pieces from the heart which has lead her to the creation of Mara Luna, a meaningful brand with meaningful products catered for the wellbeing of others.
Here, Amarah tells us a little more about her products, her latest collection and plans for the future...
Can you explain where your business name comes from?
The name of my brand is important as it is a reflection of me as well as what I hope the brand will bring to other people. In Spanish, "Mar" means sea and "Luna" means moon. Both of these elements resonate with me deeply. The sea gives me a sense of tranquillity and stillness and the moon makes me feel grounded and connected to my inner self. I aim to incorporate and reflect these feelings in the ethos of Mara Luna, instilling a sense of peacefulness, harmony and balance into the lifestyles of others.
What do you make, where and which materials do you use?
At the moment I am selling crystal candles and moon wax melts. I think aromatherapy is a great way to boost mood and create an ambient atmosphere. Many pieces of research have proved that certain aromas can trigger certain elements in your brain which affect your mood. Our use of smell is very important and it can affect our lives more than we think and is one of our survival tools. We can use it to see if a certain food has gone off or we can sniff out danger by smelling toxins or smoke. Not only that but our use of smell can also trigger memories which can lead to certain emotions. When you really think about it, scent contributes a lot to our loves which is why I chose to start with candles.
Tell us about your latest collection.
My latest release is the candles Ulah, Hala and Lana. They are all made from natural soy wax, luxury fragrance oils and embellished with crystals and a flower petal moon. They each have their own meaning which you can look into on my website. They’ve been made to help aid meditation and add tranquility into the lives of others. Each candle has its own mantra which can be recited during meditation or can just be seen as a little daily affirmation. Mantra’s help to stop the mind from wandering and keep focussed on the present moment. Affirmations have also said to have a positive effect on our mind, keeping us motivated and uplifted. Each candle also includes a crystal. I won’t go too much into the scientific nature of crystals and how they work but by surrounding yourself with certain crystals can attract great energies into your life ! They all have different qualities which you can do research on through google or crystal books.
“As long as you are creating with purpose and giving it all that you have, just know that you will find your supporters and they will follow your journey.”
Do you have a favourite colour or colour palette you like to work with?
Yes! I always work with a neutral colour palette. Those kind of colours are calming and grounding to me. I don’t like using bright colours that jump out at you. I like to be subtle and let the products speak for themselves.
What plans do you have for the future?
I am hoping to include more wellbeing products as well as handmade textile/artwork made by me. Although I am making candles at the moment I feel like there is only so far I can go with expressing my creativity. So I am looking forward to bringing more of my textiles degree work into Mara Luna. These pieces will most likely be abstract and textural with some kind of cultural, philosophical or spiritual meaning behind it as that’s my kind of style.
How do you juggle your home-life with work? Do you have any tips for those in a similar position?
I actually struggle with this sometimes as I have a part time job as well as running Mara Luna. I find that it can sometimes be overwhelming. When working from home, it can be difficult to know when to stop, its so easy to work from morning til night! So I think it is important to make a timetable and plan your weeks and also stop working after a certain time. No job makes you work all day everyday so its important to give yourself days off too! Having breaks and going outside or meeting up with friends relaxes your mind and you come back feeling refreshed and sometimes with new ideas.
What are the biggest lessons you have learned since running your business?
If thinking about setting up a business I would say, just start! Start small, think of a brand name, create a logo, create an instagram, brainstorm what you would like to do. Then just keep going step by step and you will be surprised at how it all just unravels. Each step motivates the other. Sometimes I do look back and think, wow if I hadn’t just taken those first steps, I wouldn’t be where I am now!
Then the second piece of advice would be to keep the faith once you started. There are times when you have quiet periods or lose followers and it can seem like no one is interested in what you are doing. When it gets like that just remember why you started in the first place; that’s your drive. As long as you are creating with purpose and giving it all that you have, just know that you will find your supporters and they will follow your journey.
Visit the Mara Luna website here: maraluna.co.uk
Follow Mara Luna on Instagram: @maraluna.co
