It was during her 50th lap around the sun that Julie Ramsay first had the idea for Bedtonic; a beautiful linen bedding and clothing brand, based in the chic suburb of Subiaco in Perth.
Born and raised in Wānaka, Julie Ramsay moved across the ditch before marrying her husband, Donald, a cattle farmer from Western Australia. Settling in Broome, Julie opened a drive-thru cafe – a first for the coastal town. When they sold the business in 2015 and moved to Perth, Julie took a job in the tuck shop at a private boys’ school and never felt more demoralised.
“According to my supervisor, even how I put the sausage rolls in the paper bags was wrong!” recalls Julie. “I cried every day.”
During a trip to the Caribbean and Miami for her 50th birthday, she began brainstorming. “I reminisced about growing up in beautiful Wānaka,” says Julie. “Dad had a rafting business and Mum was a dressmaker and everything at home was natural and organic. I had an urge to tap into that lifestyle.”
Sleeping on linen sheets in a boutique Miami hotel cemented the idea for a linen bedding range. “I was instantly drawn to the naturalness of the fibre,” says Julie, “both luxurious and beautiful.”
On returning to Australia, Julie began researching linen. She learned the best quality linen originated from European flax which is mostly imported to be spun and woven in China – which is where she headed with her husband and daughter, Mollie.
“We choose a small husband-and-wife manufacturing duo based in Shenzen who remain our makers today,” says Julie. “We travelled with them visiting spinning and weaving facilities, seeing how the linen is dyed and sharing meals with their workers. Making sure Bedtonic products are made with ethical and sustainable practices is essential. We connect consistently with our makers, visiting annually to ensure that quality is never compromised, and fair practices are met.”
Bedtonic products are made in small batches using non-toxic dyes which limits environmental waste as well as being safer to humans. The first collection – linen sheets and duvet covers in three colourways – was released online in 2016, with Julie packing every order on her kitchen table.
“Starting a business in my 50s meant I had to wrap my head around new things like e-commerce and social media. I’d put so much on the line financially I had no choice other than making sure it worked!”
It did – the response to the range was fantastic.
One year in, long before the pandemic – and loungewear – was even a thing, Julie introduced her first garment into the Bedtonic range: the Poet Tunic.
“It’s a shirt you could wear to bed it’s so comfortable, but nice enough to wear all day, too, either causally over togs in summer or dressed up with layers for winter. It’s one size fits all, comes in two different lengths, and remains our bestseller.”
Julie has since added other linen loungewear pieces to the range, along with velvet, cashmere, and wool items, silk duvet inners, and hand-stitched blankets. Over 60% of the clothing is made locally in Perth by a female-led family business.
“Not only are our linens of the highest quality, but for strength and durability I insist on French or flat-felled seams wherever possible. You could almost wear our garments inside out they are so immaculately finished. I’m very anti-fast fashion, so our designs need to be sustainable and constructed to last.”
Julie also ensures her clothing range is inclusive for all sizes, from 8-22, and suitable for her demographic. “At 58 years old, my motto for Bedtonic is: ‘I won’t design it unless I would wear it’.”
Online sales are at the heart of Bedtonic’s business model, with two-thirds of their valued customers residing in the eastern states of Australia. New Zealand also has a great loyal customer following.
“We have an amazing return customer rate which I put down to the fact that the garments are well made, and our customer service and loyalty programme being top notch.”
From packing schoolboys’ lunches the wrong way to turning over a significant profit the right way with Bedtonic, Julie is living proof that you are never too old to change careers.
“People often say to me that I’m such a hard worker but doing something I love has made all the difference,” she says. “Bedtonic is what gets me out of bed every day. When I face any challenges, I repeat my favourite quote by Henry Ford: ‘When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it’.”
