How Kip&Co plans to disrupt Australia’s mattress industry, in style

When Alex McCabe, Kate Heppell and Hayley Pannekoecke founded colourful lifestyle brand Kip&Co in 2010, they never imagined one day they would be designing and selling customisable mattresses too. 

In fact, Heppell says the trio didn’t have a business plan or “five-year strategy”. 

“We simply knew we wanted to start a business together that was creative and flexible,” she tells SmartCompany. 

The founders have certainly done that, attracting a loyal following for their range of bright and fun bedding, apparel and homewares.

That range has included two collaborations with Indigenous artists in remote parts of Australia (the second of which was launched this week), as well as collections with the likes of Ken Done, Mirka Mora, May Gibbs, and even popular drink bottle brand Frank Green. 

And now 13 years later, Kip&Co is making a play to shake up the mattress sector with its locally made mattresses, which went on sale at the end of August. 

“I think we’re disrupting the whole industry,” says Heppell when asked which brands Kip&Co sees as its competitors. 

“Whether that’s cheap foam ‘in a box’ mattresses that may be convenient but are not built...