‘It’s the little things that keep you balanced’: Designer Lucy Folk

This story is part of the May 11 edition of Sunday Life.See all 13 stories.

To the casual observer, the world of Lucy Folk has a dreamlike quality. The designer, jeweller, businesswoman and mother has a style that’s rooted in folk art and mysticism. Her fashion and jewellery is worn by Snoop Dogg, Beyoncé, Suki Waterhouse, Elle Fanning and the like, and her photo shoots evoke early morning dips in the south of France and sleepy summer afternoons in Ibiza.

Folk, 41, is a natural beauty with a magnetic personality and incredibly down-to-earth demeanour. A dazzling smile is never far away. While we’re talking, there’s the constant joyous clatter of her children – Malon, four, and Lala, 19 months – in the background. Her family is with her always, and she shapes her life around them.

A goldsmith by trade, Folk creates pieces that have a rough, organic edge to them, as if they’d laid buried in the sand for centuries, just waiting to be discovered by some lucky person. And yet, there’s something so quintessentially Australian about her style – soft cottons, rough linens, towelling and hand-woven garments that feel as much at home on Bondi Beach as they might in a seaside taverna in Cadaqués.

What started in 2007 as a small line of food-related jewellery (never forget the gold pretzel necklace, or the bejewelled pizza ring) is now a business with 13 staff across three stores – two in Sydney, one in Melbourne. However, Folk believes going any larger would run the risk of diluting what she’s worked so hard to create, and in July she intends to take that notion a step further by focusing on one-on-one customer service. “That means you can have a very intimate experience with the brand, which is quite rare these days,” she says.

For Folk, family is everything. She describes her parents as best friends. “I feel like they inspire and challenge each other,” she says, crediting their example for the relationship she enjoys with her partner, Joffrey Cauchy. With one difference. “We are a lot more romantic, but he’s French so he can’t help it. I think that you can almost be each other’s muse. It’s quite powerful.”

Bottega Veneta top (worn as dress), Dries Van Noten thongs from Parlour X, Lucy Folk sunglasses and jewellery.Credit: Jamie Green

Her parents have also, in their own ways, shaped her professionally and her mother, interior designer Anne Folk, is a huge creative and aesthetic influence. “I grew up in a house full of obscure objects, rare books and interesting interiors,” she says. “I think that really shaped my eye.”

Folk remembers her mother taking her to her favourite design stores, such as Market Import in Melbourne. “I would chat to her friends and was besotted by all the incredible Mexican creations that were sold there,” she says. “I also remember our travels fondly and all the interesting places my mum would take us to.”

Her father, Pitzy Folk, migrated to Australia from Austria in the ’70s and quickly made his mark on the Melbourne hospitality scene, starting with a gourmet food shop before adding several cafes and a successful coffee company. Today, he is the man behind sparkling beverage company Capi. He’s also her mentor.

“He’s had these incredible businesses and his perspective is quite unique because he really values making mistakes and learning from that,” she says. “He’s always had this lust for life, and I think that’s infectious.”

Folk wears Baserange “Tav” cardigan, Lucy Folk “Tufted Wave” miniskirt, Lucy Folk jewellery. Lala wears her own romper.Credit: Jamie Green

Growing up, the nurturing environment created by her parents extended to the designer’s friends, who were warmly absorbed into the family, from the regular Tuesday schnitzel nights to holidays. “There was always this huge welcoming of people,” says Folk, “and that’s never changed. But I think I’ve always felt uncomfortable asking people for things. I’m really happy to provide for others, but perhaps not as comfortable asking. Because actually, sometimes you do need help. You can’t do it all.”

Folk is nothing if not adaptable. She lives wherever feels right, whether it’s Paris, Mallorca, Marseille, Ibiza or, right now, bouncing between South Coogee in Sydney’s east and their Boreen Point beach bungalow in Noosa Shire, the location for this Sunday Life photo shoot. A friend mentioned the idea of a Mexico sojourn not long ago, and that was tempting too. “Sometimes Joffrey’s like, ‘Can you just keep your feet on the ground?’”

The pull of Europe will always be there for the family (“Joffrey needs to see his family every year, and they need to see the kids”) but it also provides a creative inspiration for Folk, whose work always reflects her surroundings. “It really feeds us in so many ways,” she says. “And as much as travelling with young children is exhausting, it is also beautiful and rewarding. You see things through their eyes.”

She achieves all this by travelling as a family unit, keeping work and life completely intertwined and at the same time as free-flowing as possible. “It’s the little things that keep you balanced and grounded,” says Folk. “It’s making sure you’re eating well and having sunshine. Nature is a huge one for us. We have this little ritual as a family where we go and watch the sunrise in the morning. And then, if we can watch the sunset, that’s even more wonderful.”

Folk wears Lucy Folk shirt dress, pants and jewellery. Cauchi wears his own top and Lucy Folk pants. Malon wears Ziggy Zaza T-shirt and pants. Lala wears Lucy Folk sarong.Credit: Jamie Green

The hope is that they’ll be able to keep up their nomadic lifestyle as the kids get older, but Folk also knows there will need to be more structure as they start school and make friends of their own. “If they love travelling like we do,” she says, “then we will most certainly keep it exciting for them culturally.”

Folk says she doesn’t need a huge amount of solo time to recharge, but she does need plenty of self-care to make sure everything works as she’d like it to. She looks after her wellbeing much as she manages her business, putting a high value on time, health, peers and family.

“You have to be true to it though,” she says. “I think it’s really nice to try to educate the people around you to live a healthier life by making sure you have time for yourself so you’re working efficiently, and not overworking. That’s such a big thing. That’s why people enjoy working in the business, because we actually try to accommodate everyone in their own way.”

Folk thinks of her life in chapters. That different places are for certain periods of time. Her current chapter is focused on raising her young family in Australia. “It’s very much about sitting in our skin, being vulnerable and rethinking what we’ve been doing and how that works as a family unit.”

Equilibrium looks different to everyone, and it’s rare to meet someone who comes by it easily. For some, it’s taking time out to read, see a film, meditate. For Folk, it’s about finding nourishment and inspiration while keeping everybody close. “Balance is everyone being comfortable in an environment [where we all feel] creatively or culturally stimulated.”

Historically, Mother’s Day has been a day of work for the Folk clan. Famously one of the busiest days of the year for the hospitality industry, the whole family – Anne, Pitzy, Lucy and her sister Saskia – would put in a shift at their Melbourne cafe, The Observatory at the Botanical Gardens. “It was a significant part of my childhood,” she says. “I remember scooping a lot of ice-cream.” Afterwards, the family would all go out to dinner together to celebrate.

Folk wears Lucy Folk “Odin” dress, Lucy Folk jewellery. Lala wears Lucy Folk sarong. Malon wears Ziggy Zaza.Credit: Jamie Green

This year, Folk and Cauchy’s plan is to take Malon and Lala to the beach for some time in the sand and a little bit of vitamin D (“that’s always a wonderful vibe for us”). But while it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever see Lucy Folk sling another scoop of peppermint choc chip, there are other traditions that remain close to her heart. One of those includes making Mother’s Day cards by hand: “That was always a ritual, and still is.”

Fashion editor: Penny McCarthy. Hair and make-up: Miranda Emblem.

STOCKISTS Baserange baserange.net.au; Bottega Veneta bottegaveneta.com; Lucy Folk lucyfolk.com; Parlour X parlourx.com; Ziggy Zaza ziggyzaza.com.au

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