#TUEmpower by @stellalunardy
To most, the name “Stella Lunardy” calls to mind the image of show-stopping, exceptionally embroidered cheongsams, worn by attractive women in their meticulously adorned sangjits. You think “Stella Lunardy” and you think elegance, style, and remarkable design.
This November we had the honour of speaking with the young, outstandingly talented designer. While most people come to her in excitement of their big day, the process of building her personal brand and making these beautiful dresses doesn’t come without its challenges.
1. Tell us something about your background?
Hi everyone! My name is Stella Lunardy. I’m 25 years old and I’m the 3rd of 4 children of my beloved parents. Back then, my parents were running a garment industry in women's clothing and selI them wholesale. Since then, any clothing industry related has been very familiar to me.
Ever since I was little, drawing and colouring has been a hobby of mine. I used to have a nanny who was very good at it and she taught me how to draw - I wish I could thank her in person by now! It was when I was in my junior high that I started liking fashion. I used to do blogging (fashion blogging was very popular back then) and joined some fashion design competitions. Eventually I won some of them and that gave me the confidence to take fashion design as my university major.
2017 - Stella teaching fashion design to students at SMAK 3 Jakarta
When I was 19, I attended fashion courses in Bunka for around 4 months and enrolled in Lasalle College International Jakarta. I graduated with my Diploma degree for 2 years. I took some short fashion courses too in Central Saint Martins, London, with the subject haute couture embroidery and accessory making.
I started my own brand under my name (Stella Lunardy) when I was still a student in Bunka. I got my first client which was my aunt and her daughter. It was for her daughter's 1st birthday celebration. That was the first time I learned how to make a dress for someone else's unique body with guidance from my tutor in Bunka. I made the pattern, searched for the fabrics and trimmings, sewed the dress and did the fittings by myself.
I posted a picture of that dress on Instagram and from that photo, I finally landed my first ever client who is not family-related. It was Rp 1.500.000, my first dollar from my evening gown project.
While I was still in college I kept on taking orders, and time management was difficult and challenging for me. After I graduated from uni, I hired my first ever seamstress and started doing things more seriously.
I cleaned the garage in my house and placed a sewing machine there.
That same year, I started my second label called "Lune by Stella”, a Chinese new year premium ready-to-wear collection. However, things didn’t go really well until the mid year. There was so much to learn and finding a skilful seamstress was a real challenge. I often sewed the dress myself until the end of the year but thank God, things have become more stable now.
2. What kind of child were you?
I was a happy kid back then and I love to draw, sing and dance. I love to play with clay and stuff and do paper crafts every single day.
3. Why did you choose fashion designing as a career?
I have had confidence since I was in high school, after joining some fashion design competitions and winning them. I love seeing pictures of beautiful gowns on the internet and I wanted to learn how to make them so bad. I have this curiosity of making things I couldn’t have thought of before. While it was definitely challenging, I love to make art that people can wear and look beautiful with. I love to see people gladly wearing my creations and I want to bring forward the fashion industry in Indonesia.
Featured on Asia Tatler in 2019, Stella ran a show in collaboration with @epajewel
4. How do you manage stress?
I tell my bad day stories to my partner hahahahha. I hang out, go to a nice dinner place, play the piano, watch movies or korean dramas, etc.
But I always keep this in mind: I can achieve anything that I set my mind to. It’s the power of believing in yourself. That’s the key.
5. What’s your experience like as you build your brand? Has it been easy or challenging?
It was very very challenging. I always blame myself for things that I don't understand, like how could I have known these when I’ve never experienced nor been taught about it? To whom should I ask? Should I work for someone else first to learn things like these?
2019 - Stella’s first show in Surabaya
But I’ve discovered that there’s no greater teacher than my own experience of trials and errors. I also made Google, Youtube, and Pinterest my best friends. But I feel especially grateful for my firsts: first supportive first clients, first seamstresses and first employees who helped and believed in me back then. I learned a lot from them.
6. You have “Stellunardized” the cheongsam fashion industry and it is difficult to find someone that doesn’t know who you are in Indonesia. How did this happen?
This can happen only by the grace of God. Honestly I’m also amazed at how the market responds. I think it was because I came at the right moment, at the right time. I started making affordable cheongsams right when the "Sangjit" celebration was just starting to get popular. I arrange the embroideries nicely and combine colors that look so vivid to the eyes on the gown. I experimented on the silhouette, the embroidery techniques, fabrics, beadings, and brooches. I personalized the elements according to the client’s personality and desired theme.
I think of how the client would feel when wearing the dress. I put my heart in every piece that I made.
Thank God, He's leading me the way.
7. What would you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Thank God he’s blessed me with a sense of fashion and good eyes in choosing the right colour combinations to make dresses that many love.
But I have lots of weaknesses and one of them is handling my feelings. My heart breaks easily whenever I get complaints from my client. This can ruin my mood all day long. I'm also very weak in public speaking and managing my time. But I'm working on it! And I’m getting better each and every day.
8. Tell us the most challenging time in your career as a fashion designer and how you handled it.
It was when the capacity of the production was overloaded.
2018 - Stella Lunardy and her team
I was really exhausted and didn't get enough sleep but had to keep going and running the business and productions due to all the responsibilities. I once failed on making my client happy. I feel very sorry for this one client who didn’t like the embroidery design I made. It was our team's fault that the dress finished at the very last day before the event. She came to the workshop and got very angry that the embroideries didn't meet her expectations.
She asked me to put down all the embroideries that she would prefer to wear just plain. So I made her a new one in 6 hours. Plain with a brooch on the waist. This case really breaks my heart but I learned from it.
9. What does a day in the life of Stella Lunardy entail?
I'm definitely not a morning person. I stay up late because that's when it's the most quiet. Quietness is very important for my inspiration process. I wake up, take showers, have brunch, meet clients, check up the productions, do paper work, browse the Internet, search for inspirations, have a good dinner (sometimes I cook for my family/ for myself), take a good warm shower, and then off to bed.
Last but not least, I spend time with my partner who’s my anchor in my day-to-day life—to help me with my schedule, to keep me company whenever I'm in doubt, and to keep me sane through all the hectic days.
10. How would you deal with an arrogant client?
Reply them with kindness.
11. Is there something you really don’t like?
Cockroach.
12. What's something you hope to do that you haven't done yet?
Learning french language.
13. What advice would you give to aspiring fashion designers out there?
Keep these things in mind:
Persistence is key.
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
Dream big and really high that if you can't achieve it, you won’t fall far from it.
You can do everything that you set your mind to.
Don’t forget to pray.
Good luck!
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@stellalunardy’s story is an exclusive interview by Things Untouched.