Kōrero with Aria Collection

In the lead up to Kirihimete, we're creating space to kōrero with pakihi Māori, who inspire us! This week, we spoke with Harmony & Shaun Huntington from Aria Collection about investing in your hauora, inclusive sizing and backing yourself.

Kia ora Harmony,

Thank you for taking the time to kōrero with us!

First off, can you please tell us a little about who you are, where you’re from and what you do for mahi?

Ko Harmony Huntington toku ingoa. He uri no Tauranga Moana me te Wairapapa. Ko Ngati Ranginui me Ngati Kahungunu ki wairarapa nga iwi.

Ko Shaun Huntington toku ingoa. He uri no te Turanganui-a-kiwa. Ko Ngati Porou te iwi.

We are the co-owners of Aria Collection, a Māori owned athleisure brand based here in Aotearoa.

Shaun is a mobile crane supervisor and works part-time on Aria Collection. I now work full-time on our business and part time on studying.

What motivated you to start a clothing brand?

Aria Collection began on our living room floor. We had just started investing into our own hauora journeys after having our son, Tanekaha back in 2019. We were motivated to start the brand from being in and amongst the health and fitness scene here in Tamaki Makaurau. Throughout our journeys, it became very evident that our moods were determined on how good we felt and one thing that made us feel good was the style of kakahu that we were putting on our bodies. Athleisure wear became more than just a set to put to work out in and it quickly became a mental game. If it felt like you looked good, you felt good and you’ll kill your workout.. every time!?We began playing around with the idea of designing athleisure wear that would most importantly be three things: Functional (how it worked), stylish (how it looked), and inclusive (for every body). We used our first house deposit to cater to as many sizes as we could to launch our first ever collection with 6 products in 4 colours to bring Aria Collection on the scene.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a Pakihi Māori, that is just starting out.

Don’t compare your business with others. The business sector is a huge playing field and there is more than enough room for everyone to have their piece of the pie, regardless you will most likely stumble upon businesses that are in the same industry, do the same things or offer the same products or services. Each business venture is unique and what works for one may not work for another. Making comparisons will build doubt and kill confidence if you focus on it. Ensure you have a plan and pathway for your business and keep your purpose at the forefront of everything you do. When you remember why you started, you can’t be stopped.

What is one challenge that you have overcome, in your business? Can you tell us about it?

The amount of reinvesting in the beginning. When we started out, Shaun worked and still works full time in an industry completely separate to what our business was in. This was our main stream of income to start Aria Collection. We were at a stage where we were about to buy our first home back in 2019. We decided to invest in Aria Collection instead and one challenge was understanding the amount of putea it would take to grow a business like this and even more so, the continuous reinvesting of revenue back into the business to grow it. This is a challenge that we are also currently navigating as we expand and move into different health and fitness avenues to compliment Aria Collection. I would say our advice on this would be to keep on top of your cash flow and understand the priorities within your business that need the putea before you begin to spend miscellaneously. What you want isn't necessarily what you need.. yet!

Can you tell us about a mistake that you have made in business, that you’ve learnt from.

?Starting out big from the beginning. Not necessarily a mistake, but a lesson. Even though we sold out of our very first collection, I think there’s nothing wrong with starting small and growing from there. Starting small and starting somewhere is just as good as going big. You’re able to understand what your target market is looking for, without all the overheads and potential risk of excess product being unsold. When you start big, all your recurring/following products/services have to match or exceed this and it can become stressful. If you are within your means financially, starting small is perfect and there’s nothing wrong with building from the ground up.

What is the most rewarding part about being a business owner?

Being able to help other wahine look and feel confident in their tinana. Changing the mindsets of our wahine through athleisure wear is one small part of the ultimate goal for Aria Collection. We love being in a position to have a business that caters to our women (and our men.. soon!) and connecting with our community to be a small part of their individual health and fitness journeys. We love connecting with our Aria community and helping uplift them in a space which was not always so inclusive.

As a business owner, what’s the one thing you would tell your past self to do before starting your business?

Back yourself up always. There’s many times in your business venture where you will feel over your head. Backing yourself eliminates the factor of you having to seek validation from others in your business to see your vision. If you’ve always got your front, back and sides, theres no one that can tell you otherwise.

.. and outsource! Understand when something is not your strong point. Building a team of people that are the best at something they do and bringing them in to build your team is a strength. Asking for help when you need it is a strength!?

Do you have anything else to add / advice to share?

Remember why you started. There’ll be one million things you’ll have to remember in your business, always make that number one.