ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Hi, I’m Aleona (AH-LEE-OH-NAH) — the founder of ARA Collective.
ARA stands for Almost Ready Aleona — a name rooted in a phrase I’ve said my entire life:
“I’m almost ready.”
Not perfectly styled.
Not completely finished.
Still in progress.
That space — the quiet moment before full light — is where this brand began.
The half sun in our logo symbolizes early light. Pre-dawn. The beginning of a rise. I’ve always believed you don’t have to be at your peak to show up. You don’t have to be fully formed to be worthy. Growth is valid. Becoming counts.
I’m a Minnesota-based singer-songwriter (releasing music under the name ALEONA), multidisciplinary designer, and entrepreneur of Vietnamese and Russian heritage. My life has always existed at the intersection of discipline and creativity.
By day, I work in dentistry — a profession grounded in precision, structure, and detail. By night and weekends, I write music, build brands, create digital content, develop apparel concepts, and bring ideas to life across multiple creative platforms.
Throughout high school and college, I immersed myself in arts, academics, athletics, and leadership programs. I was constantly exploring, building, and moving forward. At Dakota State University, I pursued studies and certifications across disciplines including business, marketing, multimedia, photography, psychology, Spanish, web development, art + neuroscience, biochemistry, after I graduated. When I am not studying, designing, or making music, I have the honor to influence for my favorite brands and help their business grow. Those experiences don’t sit separately. They integrate.
Athletics shaped me just as deeply. Volleyball, gymnastics, tennis, and softball taught me rhythm, endurance, and forward motion. Movement has always been part of my identity — physically and creatively.
ARA is where all of those layers converge.
I didn’t set out to start a fashion brand overnight. It developed naturally — through designing pieces for myself, collaborating with fashion and beauty brands, building creative platforms, and noticing that the clothes I reached for daily were always the same: comfortable, intentional, effortless.
Athleisure wasn’t a trend for me. It was the uniform of someone building something.
Early mornings editing designs.
Airport outfits on the way to collaborations.
Late-night music sessions in oversized hoodies.
Creative meetings between errands.
I was always almost ready.
And that became the philosophy.
ARA Collective is for women who are still rising — still evolving, still building, still becoming. It’s thoughtful, comfortable design made for real life: the quiet mornings, the in-between hours, the growth stages.
Not performative.
Not overly polished.
Not chasing perfection.
Just ready enough.
Welcome to ARA. ☀️
Aleona Lund is the founder and creative director of ARA Collective, a clothing brand built around the concept of “Almost Ready.”