Say you want to start a furniture business, but you have no background in furniture design.
Say you also want to manufacture in Bali - but you're not sure who you can trust.
Those are just some of the challenges Lotte Barnes and Lia-Belle King, the couple behind Worn Store, have faced.
They started their boutique furniture business after quitting their jobs in the fashion and branding industries in Sydney, and setting off to live in Bali.
“Originally we were doing some styling work while in Indonesia,” Lotte says. “I was literally was riding around on the bike, Lia-Belle was on the back and all of a sudden I was like stop stop stop stop! And we just saw these incredible off the road teak pieces and furniture, and we thought instantly, this is where we need to go, we need to speak to this maker.”
Lotte Barnes and Lia-Belle King Source: Supplied
While that was a smooth enough start, there were pitfalls ahead, especially once the pair relocated back to Australia.
“Because we communicate so much digitally, things can get missed,” Lotte says. "I guess also the standards we hold within Australia compared to Indonesia - like we really have to lift bar constantly. We have to go back there, check [the pieces], find all the details because it can really easily be missed if we're not constantly on those things - even to the way it’s packed into the container before it comes to Australia.”
All of Worn's furniture is handmade. Source: Supplied
That’s a lesson they’ve learned the hard way. They’ve had some pieces ruined in the trial and error process.
To keep on top of production quality, Lotte travels to Bali every few months. The business also has a production manager based in Bali. After trialling a few different makers early on, they’ve settled on a few who produce the best work.
And Lotte and Lia-Belle’s commitment to quality has helped the business grow; Worn now produces and ships close to a thousand items each year, up from just 30 items only two years ago.
Lotte with some of Worn's artisans. Source: Supplied
But they only make what customers actually order, so that means up to a four-month wait for a single item. It’s a contrast to what customers are accustomed to when it comes to online shopping.
“It really is about changing the consumer's approach to purchasing,” Lotte says.
“We have ongoing emails that update customers to the status of their chair, including pictures of their actual chair being made, so people can see what is happening behind the scenes,” Lia-Belle adds.
Worn's rattan chairs. Source: Supplied
What they want most of all is for customers to feel a connection to their pieces.
“One of our chairs can take six days to make. So it’s not a machine process, pumped out factory, done. There’s a real tangible experience,” Lotte says. “So our philosophy is really about starting the conversation... not consuming things thoughtlessly.”
