Popular Lismore clothing label Folke reveals future amid Lismore Square store closure

‘I invested my whole life into this little brand and watching it grow has been amazing’: Why the closure of this loved Northern Rivers store is just the beginning of a new journey for its young-gun owner.

Ms O'Reilly describes Folke as a brand of 'luxe clothing, intimates, swimwear and accessories.'

From market stalls to selling worldwide, the last four years have been a whirlwind for young Lismore businesswoman Lilly O’Reilly.

Now as the closure of her first store looms, the Folke owner ensures there’s no stopping the local brand from bigger and better things.

Ms O’Reilly started the boho-inspired clothing label when she was just 17 but as the brand (formally known as Amuse) started gaining traction she soon realised its potential.

Before long, she had a shopfront in Lismore Square.

“When I first signed the lease there was a little hesitation, I honestly thought I would be there for 30 days, it was only a month lease, but instead it turned into a year,” Ms O’Reilly said.

“It’s crazy, I was learning the whole time I was going because I didn’t have the experience.

“I invested my whole life into this little brand and watching it grow has been amazing.”

The store has since then been able to liaise with major brands such as Birkenstocks and Mr Consistent, branch out into homewares and more and overcome major business hurdles like the pandemic.

But now, a new challenge faced the entrepreneur.

With a big-brand retailer forcing Ms O’Reilly out of the current Lismore Square spot, she was looking towards the future.

“We’re now hoping to launch a store at Robina, we’d love to have something like a pop-up in Byron Bay,” she said.

Ms O'Reilly describes Folke as a brand of 'luxe clothing, intimates, swimwear and accessories.'

She also hoped to reopen in downtown Lismore too, crediting her dedicated local base for her success so far.

“Obviously we want to stay local too, it’s where we started, it’s our home,” she said.

“We gained a great little community in Lismore and I think they’re ready to follow us.”

Folke’s Lismore Square store will close this Friday, May 7.

Ms O’Reilly said a new Lismore destination will be revealed by July-August and in the meantime, the online store will continue to run.