Meet Johanna Haughey-Lewis, the Founder & Director of Weirdstock, a vibrant bedding brand blending modern luxury with a colorful retro aesthetic. Johanna’s journey from a music-loving, vintage treasure hunter to a passionate entrepreneur is a testament to following one’s creative passions. In this interview, she shares insights into the pivotal moments that led to the birth of Weirdstock, the challenges faced in starting her business, her commitment to sustainability, and her aspirations for the future. Johanna’s story is a compelling blend of creativity, perseverance, and a deep-rooted passion for making a positive impact through her unique brand.
What initially sparked your passion for vintage styles from the 60s and 70s?
I think my love of music influences my personal style in a big way. I’ve been a big music fan all my life and love to sing – I have a pretty eclectic taste from rock, folk, disco and soul and most (although not exclusively!) of the music I listen to is from the 60s, 70s and 80s. That’s probably what sparked my interest in the era initially. I’ve also always loved a bit of vintage treasure hunting and find antique shops, charity shops and flea markets completely fascinating. I’m really drawn to mid-century items and I love colour and pattern. It’s so much fun to find something really special or unique.
Can you share a pivotal moment or experience that inspired you to start Weirdstock?
I bought my first home with my now-husband in 2019 and transforming it into a space that reflected our unique style was a truly rewarding project. This carried over to our wedding in 2021, where I enjoyed personalising every detail. However, returning to the office post-pandemic, I felt a disconnect and I didn’t have the passion in my corporate marketing job anymore. So when the opportunity came in spring 2022 to take a voluntary redundancy from my corporate job, I felt it was really serendipitous and jumped at the chance. It was an amazing opportunity for me to take time and space and think about what I really wanted to do and I felt like it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try to create something of my own. The inspiration for my bedding line stemmed from a personal frustration: a lack of stylish, sustainable, and high-quality bedding options. I envisioned a way to fill this gap with products that embody a vibrant, retro aesthetic.
What challenges did you face when starting your business, and how did you overcome them?
While my background is mainly in marketing, I leveraged my design experience to delve into the world of textiles and manufacturing. This involved a dedicated year of product development before launch.
It has been a steep learning curve but I’m really proud of all I’ve achieved. To bridge the knowledge gap, I actively sought guidance. Melanie DiSalvo’s ‘Launch My Conscious Line’ course provided a strong foundation in textiles, manufacturing, and supplier sourcing. Currently, I’m working with Sara Collins, a UK-based consultant with over a decade of experience in ethical sourcing. Sara’s support has been invaluable in tackling complex manufacturing challenges.
My key advice is to invest in your business by seeking expert help! Working with both of these women has really accelerated my learning and help me have the vocab and knowledge I need to develop an exceptional product.
Could you tell us about a particularly difficult period in your entrepreneurial journey and what you learned from it?
Weirdstock is still a very young company (launched in late August 2023), but as most entrepreneurs know, the ride can be a rollercoaster. There are highs – the satisfaction of seeing happy customers and the thrill of selling out core products! There are lows too – periods with slower sales can trigger self-doubt. It’s during these times that reminding myself of the bigger picture helps.
For example, despite those quieter periods, I’ve seen consistent month-on-month sales growth since launch. Additionally, the initial pre-launch jitters I had about my product – will there be returns? will people hate it?- Turns out, that was unfounded. We still haven’t had a return from an unsatisfied customer. I’m sure it will happen one day, and I’ll need to remind myself of this advice!
The experience has been a valuable lesson in perspective and trusting the process.
How do you balance the modern luxury aspect of your products with the colourful retro aesthetic?
Our bedding uses only 100% GOTS certified cotton, long staple for extra durability, and boasting a silky-soft 300 thread count. Back in the day, such quality wasn’t as common, and many vintage prints come in poly-cotton blends. We’re able to bridge the gap between vibrant retro prints and that modern luxury cotton production and processing, so you can have a positively groovy bedroom without compromising on quality.
What role does sustainability play in your business, and what steps do you take to ensure ethical sourcing and production?
As previously mentioned, I’ve worked with key voices in the sustainable and ethical manufacturing for the outset, to ensure that I’m making the best choices for people and planet.
The heart and soul of Weirdstock is to produce beautiful quality products that have a positive impact on people, and a minimal impact on the planet.
We use 100% GOTS certified organic organic in our bedding. GOTS is the Global Organic Textile Standard, and its certification ensures ecological and social responsibilty for the cotton that we use.
We’re also plastic free, right down to the buttons used on our duvet covers (which are made from coconut shell, by the way), to the shipping materials we use.
Our duvet sets and sheets are packaged in little cotton bags made from factory scraps, rather than wasteful plastic packets. You can use our bags for washing your delicates, or even use them as a cute storage solution to hang on the back of your bedroom door.
We manufacture in small batches, doing our best to ensure nothing is wasted and that every item finds a home before we produce more.
Our environmental and social responsibility is really important to us, and we’re always looking for ways to improve.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own creative projects or businesses?
Investing in myself by taking courses and hiring coaches and experts has been the number one accelerator for my business and it has allowed me to achieve things I wouldn’t have thought were possible just a few years ago.
The second most important thing is building a community around you. I’ve had some amazing opportunities and collaborations come out of reaching out to other small businesses and creators on social media. We are better in numbers! I’ve made some great friends too. Starting a business can be lonely, especially when you’ve been used to the corporate world. I’m part of an amazing online community for creative founders called Uncommon Club which is been really instrumental for making connections, feeling inspired and getting help/learnings and even services (like SEO help, sewing help, photographers etc). I really recommend joining a community – if not this one, something like it. It makes me feel like I have a team to support me!
How do you stay inspired and motivated during the ups and downs of running a business?
See previous answer! Plus answer 4 – ‘zoom out and get some perspective!’. As business owners we can be hard on ourselves and it’s important to take a look at how far we’ve come.
Can you share a success story or proud moment that stands out to you in your journey with Weirdstock?
The craziest and most amazing thing that’s happened so far is getting global press coverage in a Guardian feature back in November. It was amazing to see my products featured alongside some huge brands and gave Weirdstock such great exposure that made sales take off. I still pinch myself about that!
What are your future goals and aspirations for Weirdstock?
Bigger picture: I’m still in year one of business, very much the ‘startup phase’ and I’m very much looking forward to having more regular collections and production cycles to give me security in my life and earnings. At the moment every penny made goes back into growing the business!
Other goals & manifestations: I’d love to get another feature in a big publication that can help Weirdstock continue to get exposure and trust. I would love to work with an inspiring content creator like Florence Given (she’s iconic!), and one day I would absolutely love for Weirdstock to be stocked at Liberty. Writing these goals down hopefully will help me manifest them into existence!
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