Cairns Local News March 04

FASHION ENTREPRENEUR EMBRACES ENVIRONMENT IN THE NATIONAL ARENA

Pictured: Ellana Pierce hard at work on her range of swimwear after recognition on the national stage in Canberra.

By Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

23-YEAR-OLD Cairns resident Ellana Pierce is in love with the sea; it’s a memory she carries from childhood. Her passion for the sea is only matched by her desire to protect it.

Ellana lived most of her life in Bribie Island, but her life-long dream was to live in Cairns, so she packed her bags and settled down in Far North Queensland.

“Since I was young, I wanted to move to Cairns; I love the heat; I thrive on it,” Ellana said.

As someone who has always lived by the sea, swimwear was essential for her; however, she realised there was a big gap in the market.

The fashion industry is one of the major ocean polluters as it is responsible for 20% of the global wastewater and pouring 1.4 million trillion plastic fibres into the ocean.

“There weren’t many swimwear options that were sustainable and affordable,” Ellana said.

“I wanted to be able to work in the path of conservation but have my own business.”

Ellana founded El Adrift, a brand of swimwear designed in Australia made from repurposed fishing nets, and Ellana ensures that all her processes are environmentally friendly.

“COVID actually played in my favour,” she said.

“We had all these lockdowns, so I just ended up working on the business every night after work.

“There was a lot of brainstorming and getting the idea on paper, getting the material samples, looking at manufacturers, planning what I was going to do for the next few months.

“I just did everything I could do with limited money.”

“I did a massive list of names, and I narrowed it down. My name is Ellana, and everyone calls me El, and I love adrift because I thought it sounded very dreamy.”

El Adrift officially launched mid-2021, and in September, Ellana started her first pre-order.

To take her start-up further, Ellana decided to represent Cairns in the Accelerator for Enterprising Women shark-tank event run by the Australian Government in Canberra

Image: Accelerator for Enterprising Women shark-tank event participants

“It appealed to me a lot because I thought all I have to do is show how passionate I am, and my brand is my baby, so it wasn’t hard to be excited about it,” she said.

“So, I was trying to win either the sustainability or popular vote.”

Ellana’s efforts paid off, she went on to the competition’s finals, and although she didn’t win first place, as one of the runners up, she received $7,000 to grow her brand.

“I felt very lucky to be able to represent Cairns. I love the people; I feel like Cairns is Hawaii in Queensland, so I feel very proud to represent Cairns even when I’m not a local,” she said.

“And it’s just massive and life-changing. I was a uni student, so I couldn’t work full time, and with COVID, I couldn’t save a lot of money.

“You spend all your money when you’re growing your business, and you don’t expect to get anything back because it’s your passion, so you don’t mind.

“But for someone to hand over that money and say, “you’re doing a really good job, keep going,” it’s very motivating.

With the funding, Ellana plans to further her business, launch new collections, and even donate to ocean conservation organisations.

As a young entrepreneur, Ellana wants to send a message to young girls who have an idea for a start-up to dream big and fight for their vision.

“I want young girls to look up to the other finalists and me and say - they went for it, so can I,” she said.

“Young women are becoming braver to stand up and say – this is how I want to live my life; this is what I want to do.

“So, I would say to young women, go for it and stick to your guns, be confident, surround yourself with people that are going to be supportive and look at the risks, ask yourself what you can offer to the world that’s different.”