Meet Alana Reeves: Founder of Dunkeld Farm
Imagery Courtesy Dunkeld Farm
Margot Q&A with Alana Reeves
Alana Reeves
Business Name: Dunkeld Farm
Founder: Alana Reeves
Year Founded: 2017
Location: Small place called Dunkeld, outside of Bathurst, NSW, Down Under
Business Description:A small-scale farm, growing and producing wild natural blooms. Working with nature not against it.
I didn’t set out to be a farmer florist.
Did you know anything about designing or making lingerie?
I knew absolutely nothing about the process of underwear design. But I knew what I wanted to add to my lingerie drawer, and I knew I couldn't find it. I considered working with a couple of London-based underwear design companies, but that didn't sit well with me. If I was going to run a business, I needed to understand it.
Through a casual family remark, I discovered my cousin was a trained contour designer. That moment felt like the stars aligning. I reached out, and we decided to build the brand independently. She became our first technical consultant and got Wildness off the starting blocks. Our current technical specialist also works for a major UK high street brand, which has decades of underwear design experience, and we're delighted to have teamed up with one of the best specialist lingerie factories in Europe.
Before Dunkeld Farm, I was working as…
What's the story behind your brand name?
I was rummaging for a name or a word that captured the female spirit and freedom. I found this fantastic dictionary example of 'wildness’.
"Why does their mother do nothing to curb their wildness?" That's exactly the mood I wanted. I want the brand to offer the freedom to look gorgeous and allow your body to breathe, to flatter your form, and offer super soft comfort without compromising on elegance.
"The touchstone I come back to for our aesthetic is a black and white 1950s image of Elizabeth Taylor kneeling in the sea, looking utterly gorgeous and fierce. She's staring straight down the lens, unsmiling, with the wind blowing her hair. She's her own woman, she's sensuous and so strong in that moment, I want our customers to feel like that when they wear our pieces."
What impact do you hope to have on the flower industry?
Australia seems to have lost a lot of growers. Nice to see more people getting back into it. Maybe ease up on the imports. I think that we have done ourselves out of a bit of work. Teach people to buy more in season.
It’s nice to see the dried flower world creep back. I feel it was lost a bit as we could access flowers all season thanks to imports.
Making people see the beauty in all flowers. Not just a classic rose etc.
Promote more farmers. Get more people into growing then just hitting the florist side. It would be nice to see the farmer get the same accolades as a florist.
I would love to see the plastic usage cut down. The flower world seems to have excessive use for it. Flowers speak their own language yet some florists seem to add balloons and boxes and ribbons. Takes away from the flowers. Loses its natural appeal.
Closing the gap between farmers and consumers. Wind down back on the need for the middleman.
If your brand were a song. What would it be?
For our essence and spirit, I'd say Angel by First Aid Kit, for the pure joy and honesty of that song, but Wildness is about sensuality and elegance as well. We've got different moods and sides to our character, like the women we're making for. Can we make a playlist?
"We're a female-run brand, so we understand the female body, and we bring that knowledge to every piece we make. It may not sound sexy, but covered seams and a well-made gusset will make you feel a hell of a lot sexier than poorly made pieces that have cut corners on their design. I'm always amazed that there are beautiful briefs that are manufactured with a seam up the front, that indicates to me that no one at that label took female anatomy into account in their design process."
What are the biggest challenges you've faced in making Wildness sustainable?
From the outset, the biggest challenge was producing on a small scale. Many factories had insane (if you're a start-up) minimum orders, and we had the same issue with a lot of fabric manufacturers. We'd be trailing round trade fairs and find the most exquisite fabrics, only to be told we needed to order over 1000 meters. To give you a sense of scale, for our first production run for one style, we only needed 150 meters.
Trying to find sustainable elastics was equally frustrating; the high-end, responsible elastic options needed orders of 30,000 meters! Which does beg the question, why aren't the bigger retailers using them? They can afford to. The product is out there. They're just choosing not to. I find that really galling. Our solution was to go for elastics made as close to home as possible, which have their processes certified as being free from harmful chemicals.
Having said all that, after years of research, we've found some fantastic fabrics that work with our designs and aesthetic. We're getting them from suppliers in the UK, Portugal, and Spain who've been really encouraging of what we're trying to create with Wildness.
Tempest Bra and Brief in White
"Our product is manufactured at a state-of-the-art factory in Romania, that makes small production runs for some of the most beautiful brands in the business. We are so excited to be working with them!"
What future goals do you hope to achieve with Dunkeld Farm?
I would like to give back more. One idea I have is to start a farm school, offering an after-school program for local girls who may not be interested in sports but still want to develop new skills and be part of a team or group.
Also, offer more floral couture workshops. I enjoy the creative aspect of working with flowers.
Spirit Bra and Brief in White
What are you most proud of to date with Wildness?
We have a customer who said she'd been looking for pretty cotton underwear for years and said 'Thank you for making my underwear drawer cute again. That made my heart pop. The quality of the pieces is also pretty special. This is well-made, beautiful lingerie that allows your body to breathe. We've created it!
Thank You Eleanor