While our bedrooms have long been places we seek to make as calming and inviting as possible, the need to transform them into complete sanctuaries has arguably never been more important. Enter, Australian linen label Carlotta + Gee, whose mission goes beyond just creating the most comfortable bedding you’ve ever slept on. Each product in the Carlotta + Gee range (which naturally has since developed into sleepwear and tableware) is high-quality, eco-friendly and sustainable, all finished off in their signature selection of dreamy colourways. As part of HER BLACK BOOK’s Festival of Her, a shopping event to support female-founded businesses, Carlotta + Gee co-founder Georgie Cavanagh shares some insight into the pair’s business journey so far.
“We spent a holiday in Byron Bay staying at The Atlantic, where we enjoyed restful night sleeps. Returning to our normal lives in Sydney we wondered why only on holidays do you have great night sleeps, it should be all the time. There also wasn’t many small brands which were eco-friendly which is so important to know as your whole body is sleeping on the fabric. We knew we wanted to bring this idea to life and there was a market for it.”
“After working long weeks for other people (we both worked in big corporate jobs for 1.5 years before resigning to work full time on C+G) we would need to be up at 6am packing the car for a full day at the Paddington market in Sydney and then on Sunday at the Bondi market before the week would start again. There were a lot of late nights and early mornings to keep things moving forward. Also, other sacrifices in those early days of going full-time we had no salary until we reached the right point in our business. It definitely was a change in our lifestyles but we would never give that away if it meant we were building our own brand and business working for ourselves.”
“That we continued! So many we know talk about doing things or start and don’t push through. It’s easy to give up. But keep going and you realise all the small wins help along the way and contribute without you realising the bigger picture. It’s also amazing to see the growth and what we can do with very small and few resources.”
‘Respect peoples time’ - Jules Lund, TRIBE founder, entrepreneur & media personality.
"He was a former boss but now will be a life long friend and mentor. I learnt a lot from him during the early days of TRIBE. Having a good team around you and know your strengths is what he always said and this remains true for us at C+G.”
“Who Built This is a brilliant podcast with some extremely inspiring entrepreneurs. The story behind people and brands is fascinating and what people buy into. The Linch Pin is also a great book to learning about connecting the dots. Also, anyone who is running a business, having children and a family is forever inspiring!"
“We have started wearing our linen pyjamas out for coffee meetings and they really look good and we always get comments (no one knows they are PJs).”
