After nearly a decade spent dreaming about starting her own homewares brand, Harriet McMicking launched Tipi Interiors late last year and recently entered the wholesale market.
McMicking had the idea for Tipi while on a trip to Morocco nine years ago, and says her label is a “travel inspired homewares brand”.
“Morocco really pulled on my heartstrings,” she says. “Over the years since then I have been fortunate to travel the world and have always enjoyed bringing home products that can tell a story.”
The brand’s debut collection includes director chairs, deck chairs, hand woven dhurrie rugs, block printed table linen and ceramics. Two teams of artisans in Rajasthan, India produce the products, which are designed in collaboration with them, and McMicking is also working on a new line with a team in Morocco.
Rather than current trends, McMicking takes inspiration from her travels and enjoys working alongside the artisans to produce products with a backstory and that reflect their country of origin.
“The first collection was inspired by India, from its rich heritage and culture to its incredible ancient architecture, to the abundance of spices and flowers,” she explains.
“All products are artisan made and Tipi takes great pride in knowing how and where each product is made. [We] work with the artisans themselves to come up with designs that evoke a response.
“Some products involve artisan techniques that have been passed down for four generations and others involve processes that carry on for weeks or even months. It’s important to keep these beautiful arts alive and appreciate them in our homes. For me, there’s nothing more exciting than to be able to share these incredible stories.”
McMicking is still working fulltime while getting her business off the ground, and says a big challenge has been fitting everything in.
“There will never be enough hours in the day, especially whilst juggling two fulltime jobs,” she says. “However, I love the challenge and the diversity of the work that this particular challenge brings.”
By Ruth Cooper
