FASHIONThe Luna Wild

Starting a new business has so many stages of emotion. In my experience, excitement, fear, inadequacy, and general anxiety are all the things I was going to need to deal with. For the site’s first monthly shoot, my expectations were set a little too high. I wanted 6 models, 3 shooting locations, and a cornucopia of designers. After talking it over with the real boss, she told me I was out my mind and we needed it to go much simpler. I remember talking with our friend Tracey at the Deep House Runway show and she informed me that she knew a few local designers. Tracey linked me to her girlfriend’s Instagram where I instantly saw so many, beautiful robes and bright meticulously detailed dresses. As I looked closer, I also saw the diary of an adventurer who has visited the likes of India, Morocco, Nepal, the Philippines, just to name a few of the countries. Her designs suddenly all made sense. I realized I needed this raw authenticity for this first shoot. I had to call her.

So, the story goes, the phone rang and she picked up. I proceeded to ramble about our little website and then I asked if she would like to be featured in our first shoot. Surprisingly, she agreed and invited me over the next day to see her kimonos. Which is when I found out that is the proper term, not robes. Her home is a modest apartment in Ocean Beach, California. I knocked on the door and heard a faint voice give me a “Cummonin”. I opened the magnet fly net door and immediately was greeted with all the lush floral patterns made of embroidered beads. The fabric’s hue and coloration engulfed a stainless steel, rolling clothing rack.  Out of the hallway emerged Ashley Bousquet. She’s a blonde, blue-eyed young woman with a firm handshake. This was the girl with the cajones to hike The Himalayas, ride camel back in Egypt, tour the Tajmahal, and hold meetings with monks. My female Indiana Jones had been humanized to a 28 year old dreamer originally from Connecticut. We had a seat and talked about life, our personal experiences and the general excitement of starting a new company. I realized my fears of inadequacy were unwarranted. This young woman is more courageous than me, in a time were sadly a fair amount of women are afraid to run by themselves let alone travel across the globe solo.

I promised to keep the details of her business private because in any industry copy cats always loom. The reason I wanted to go into such detail about Ashley, was homage to her work and the multifaceted pieces of art that you will see in this story. She was genuine, she made me feel at home, and I become more and more excited about this whole project. The dresses are all authentic made in India originally as Saris , pictured below and tailored personally into the kimono design. She backpacked through India and met a 22-year-old girl who would turn the Saris into the alluring final products you see. She brought 20 back on what would become the first business trip of many and started @lunawildcollection, in March of 2018. We connected in the simplicity of ambition and the fact her company was an infant while mine was in the embryo stage. I asked her how she funded her travel addiction and told me simply “prioritizing and creating a budget”. After I sent her the first edit of this article she wanted me to stress that spontaneity plays an enormous part of her journeys as well. Her company has received a lot of praise, which I think has to do with the person as well as the Kimonos. The humility and gratitude she personifies is admirable. She’s the real deal, zero bullshit. The pieces are fantastic festival fare and honestly could become a beach necessity for next spring, male or female. The Kimonos go well with body suits, high wasted shorts, leggings all while looking artistic and if pulled off correctly ,very classy. She added “honestly pasties are always a really big hit as well”, I take her word for it. Call it a hunch.

Her mission with this company is to combine unique, worldly cultures with the everyday American domestic life. Being a female business owner, she hopes to inspire women while empowering them. Thus, creating a chain reaction of female confidence. Her mind is always set on organic growth, being open to opportunity, and being a member of the community, whether it be here or anywhere. You can find @lunawildcollection on Instagram and DM her to inquire for a commission or follow her to see when she does her next pop-up shop in Southern California. Finally, I left that apartment. Not after admiring trinkets, crystals, paintings, and photos from all over the world. I knew my inspiration for this article as well as the shoot would have legs.

Our team takes a lot of pride in the work behind the scenes it took to do this shoot. I want to give special thanks to Casey Cox- Cofounder for director that day. Kylie did full hair and make-up, her work really tied the piece together. Both models for being extremely easy to work with, they both are invite back anytime! We wanted to have the ingredients of a traditional shoot but also wanted to show that this was for fun as well! Our Photographer Dylan Sterling did a great job and are all very happy with the final product. Our director tried to create looks that could be used for any occasion showing that the pieces are very dexterous. We all hope you enjoy the shoot below!

Look #1

Look #2

Look #3