Today’s Stellar trio is a beautiful story about a long distance (business) relationship and friendship. Since the inception of their project over one year ago, Ilkem, Ayça and Gökçe have been working in different locations between Turkey and Spain. They compliment each other with their multi-discipline background and work to create a company that reaches the souls of many of us across the globe. It is an amazing accomplishment to work with the distances in a partnership and we are very excited to have them share their story with us today.
Sometimes we think of sustainability being for the environment and for the wider society, however we forget about maintaining the sustainability of our minds and soul that gives us the energy to keep pursuing for a better future. Self-care often feels like a luxury for many of us that feel like 24 hours in a day is never enough, little do even stop and think that we need to re-energize our souls to be able to keeping going in full thrust.
Soluna is the name of the brand of today’s Stellar trio. A brand that is created to help us relax, balance and arise. We love the concept of re-calibrating the balance in our body and spirit, to create harmony between us and our environment. Not only can we find products that will cleanse our body with natural products, but also clear our minds and heal our spirit.
Hi Ilkem, tell us a bit about Soluna, what is the brand about, the focus and mission, where are you based?
We are 3 close friends who dreamed of healing fellow humans with natural products. We believe in the balance of body and soul. We know that sometimes we just need to stop and focus on ourselves for a moment and do things that are good for us, especially given the stress and anxiety of everyday life. That is why we are creating handcrafted natural soaps, candles, ceramics and ritual kits.We invite everyone to be aware of the natural energy surrounding them, to internalize it and heal themselves physically and spiritually with it.
Apart from the adverse environmental impact, the consumer is being tricked into buying so-called ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ products which aren’t what they are advertised to be. This is called greenwashing. We are not greenwashing, we are all-natural, sustainable, and also non-plastic. We love our Mother Earth and every creature on it.
What inspired you, Gökçe & Ayça to create Soluna?
Each of us is specialized in a different field but somehow these fields are interconnected. At the right time and place, we brought our interests and backgrounds together and created our brand. We benefited immensely from the products we created for ourselves and we wanted everyone to experience this. Following a journey of passion, learning, and experience, we did the research and product development in our ateliers and created these heartwarming products for everyone.
We continue to work and produce with pleasure.
I hear that Ayça is a ceramic artist, Gökçe is an aromatherapy expert and you’re the hands behind the artisan soaps for Soluna. Each product is so beautiful it is a piece of art in itself.
How do you strive the balance between sustainability, design and quality?
Ayça is a ceramic artist, certified as a Crystal Consciousness Expert and Tarot Teacher. She also creates symbols, esoteric stories, mythological elements, and carries that inspiration both to her ceramics and paintings. In addition, she is the founder and strategist of the advertising agency Wag the Dog since 2007. She supports us with her digital marketing knowledge.
Gökçe studied Aromatherapy and Natural Cosmetics and continues to design and produce natural products. She has a university degree in Business Administration and is specialized in sales and marketing after having worked for global brands for many years. She helps us to plan, get organised and present our brand the right way.
I also have a background in International Business and eCommerce that helps us to plan our online strategies on selling internationally. I design our artisan soaps and skincare products with Gökçe and produce them in our atelier.
All of us are very active in product development and product manufacturing. We work hard to deliver the best in every aspect.
Looking back at the journey so far, is there anything you would like to tell your past self that you wish you knew back then? A tip for the entrepreneur that is still thinking if they can do this!
I would probably tell my past self: you’ll have highs and lows, stay patient and keep going. Patience is necessary when owning and operating a small business.
The first step is to identify what you want out of your business and to keep those goals in mind as you start and go through the process. When you love what you do, the work is rewarding but it also means long hours, holidays missed with families, and not every customer will always be nice.
Finally, what part of being in the Myth community would you look forward most to?
Being part of the Myth community is special for us. We believe sustainable small businesses should support each other and grow together through networking, knowledge transfer and experience sharing. We are delighted to be part of this community.
