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“I used this custom order for social media posts and was
overwhelmed by the response. I was definitely onto something
so I decided to expand and make a whole range of ‘mummy and
me’ pieces.
“With the Mummy and Me range I wanted to create swimwear
that women wanted to wear because it was cute, but it also felt
comfortable. I wanted to design something they were proud to wear
and proud for their daughters and babies to wear too,” she says.
“It is very important that women feel great in their own skin,
confident and comfortable in what they wear. So creating swimwear
for all sizes in classic designs that are always in fashion and
using great quality fabrics was at the forefront of my mind when
SunHaze grew. Being a mum of four I certainly know what happens
to your body after children and sometimes the unrealistic view of
what you should look like doesn’t help. Women are all so different
and we should celebrate this, not categorise women into certain
types. SunHaze likes to celebrate the differences and that’s what is
important. We want women to see themselves in SunHaze.”
Something else that has always been of great importance to Lana is
that all her products are designed and made in Australia.
“I will never compromise here. I design the fabric print with a local
company. It’s printed in Australia, by an Australian company, and
even the fabrics are supplied by an Australian company. I pride
myself on having a product that will last more than one season,
even more than two.”
And although Lana has worked hard to create a business and
a brand she can feel proud of, as a mum, it hasn’t always been
smooth sailing managing business and pleasure.
“It’s really hard to fit it all together and it is definitely a juggling
act,” she says. “I constantly drop the juggling balls but just keep
trying over and over. Mum guilt does come into play but I work
hard for me and I think that it is important. I lost myself in the
first few years of being a mum, I needed to be creative and take
risks again instead of hiding away in my house with my children
as an excuse.
“And as a mum and as a business owner you will always have
ups and downs and sometimes the downs are hard to get back up
from, but you have to do it to prove what you are doing is worth
all the sacrifice, time, stress and all those emotions. Just never give
up. Having a ‘that will do’ attitude doesn’t cut it in business.
“Don’t get me wrong, being a mother is the best. But being a mum
that has a passion is even better.”
So with her adorable Mummy and Me women and kids swimwear
taking off, what’s next for Lana and SunHaze?
A Daddy and Me range of course!
“I started getting custom orders for dads and sons and orders for
matching swimwear for the whole family, which is exciting,” Lana
says. “Board short fabric bases are harder to find in Australia so we
are still working on getting this one completely off the ground, but
this is definitely going to be part of the SunHaze Fashion range at
some point in the near future.
“I also want to see the entire SunHaze range worldwide. Oh and
have a holiday!”
sunhaze.com.au
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