3 minute read
A Desire For Sustainable Fabrics
Jennifer Moore runs Monaluna – a small independent organic fabric company in Walnut Creek in California. We talk to her about her fabrics
For anyone that’s not familiar with Monaluna fabrics – tell us about your company and how it all started?
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Monaluna is an organic fabric company that specialises in high-quality cotton fabrics printed with whimsical, modern designs. I started the company in 2010 at a time when there were far fewer options for organic cotton in the market. I had been licensing my artwork for fabric for about a year, but the more I learned about the environmental and health impacts of conventional cotton fabric production, the more committed I became to offering more sustainable fabric options.
When I was unable to ensure that my licensed artwork would be printed on organic fabric, I decided to try to do it myself. I started with one collection that I had planned to sell over the course of a year, but it sold out in three months. I realised there was a real demand in the market, so I rushed to design the next collection, and a company was born! I had a newborn baby at the time too, so it was an exciting time!
Festival - Monaluna
What do you see as the main benefits of using organic cotton?
Although there are benefits to the end user, including the absence of residual toxins on the fabrics and an overall stronger and more absorbent fabric – the main benefits are more holistic. Organic cotton farming doesn’t rely on toxic pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, and the overall carbon footprint and water usage is much smaller, so it’s better for the environment and community, as well as the workers who are producing the crop.
Do you design all the fabric for Monaluna and what inspires your designs?
I do! I always find plenty of inspiration – the hard part is choosing what themes and designs will make the best fabrics. I often find inspiration close to home such as in my garden, which is full of flowers and fruit trees, birds, butterflies and the occasional chicken, but also from my living room – one collection that I designed was influenced by my Chemex coffee pot, and the recent Saturday collection is loosely based on my cats sleeping and playing in my studio. A couple of the more recent collections, Magical Creatures and the new Festival collection are inspired by some of the stories I read to my daughter.
Saturday - Monaluna
Who do your fabrics appeal to?
I think our fabrics have a pretty wide appeal, because while there are lots of playful and juvenile prints – we also do more sophisticated and adult ranges. The fact that it’s organic definitely speaks to a certain audience, but while most of our customers value that, they ultimately buy the fabrics because they love the prints. Our standard poplin base cloth is lovely for apparel, but also perfect for quilting, accessories and some décor projects, so it’s very versatile. We also carry cotton lawns, canvas, double gauze and knits, so there’s a little something for most sewists.
Festival is one of your latest ranges, and is proving very popular – why do you think this is?
Festival is a really playful collection, with rich colours and a happy vibe. Animal prints are always very popular, and I think tropical plants and flowers are having a moment right now. It’s one of my favourites because of all the colour and texture – I like how the Tassels print feels so saturated and warm, and I like the way it and the other geometric, The Keys, integrate with the other larger scale prints.
How many fabric collections do you create every year?
We usually create about four collections a year, but we’ve done as many as nine!
Do you have any exciting news to share with us?
We’re working on some exciting new products right now, including some kits, as well as digital formats for our sewing patterns. There are a lot of irons in the fire!
To view all of the fabric ranges from Monaluna, and also find a stockist near you – hantex.page.link/m
