Worn Store’s Lia-Belle King on Building a Business with Integrity

 

Creating a life doing what you love is a dream for many and something that Lia-Belle King, co-founder and creative director of Worn Store, has been able to turn into a reality.

Together with her partner in business and life, Lotte Barnes, she has worked hard over the past decade to build a brand dedicated to designing and sourcing furniture with strict sustainability guidelines. 

Come listen to our conversation where Lia-Belle shares the couple’s journey to launching Worn, what it was like to be stocked by iconic London store Selfridges, how they have navigated having their designs copied and taking creative risks and trusting your intuition.

THIS EPISODE FOCUSES ON

  • Growing up on a farm on the Central Coast, NSW with a creative mother

  • Studying Journalism and PR & working at a fashion magazine

  • Where & why Worn started

  • Worn’s initial launch

  • Lia-Belle’s unconventional & organic approach to marketing Worn

  • Her experience living in Indonesia

  • How her & her partner built relationships with local artisans & villagers

  • Moving to the Byron Bay region

  • The experience of opening their first mortar & bricks space in Bangalow, NSW

  • How they started producing clothing

  • The decision to move away from furniture to become a lifestyle brand

  • Lia-Belle’s experience with chronic fatigue

  • Dealing with plaigarism in the furniture & homewares industry

  • Opening their new space in Binna Burra, NSW

  • The evolution women & businesses go through in response to what is happening to their life & family

  • What differentiates Worn from other brands in terms of their sustainability & production practices

  • Building an elevated brand aesthetic

  • The importance of trusting your intuition

 

FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE

 

Podcast production: Yaga Media

 
Natalie Walton