Delivering a different kind of Christmas...
The festive season is the ultimate occasion for sharing gifts with those you love. Giving a glimpse into the world of the people behind the presents, The Christmas Magazine sat down with the co-founder of retail rebel, Di erent Kind, for an exclusive chat
Whilst life begins the day you are born, they say your fifties are when you finally decide to appreciate it. And for Liz Warner, it was the decade she decided to turn her back on her exciting career in media and TV and focus on philanthropic pursuits - co-founding the online store Different Kind.
The business, which started in October 2021, showcases the most exciting and emerging ethical businesses and sells their products on their website. Their mission statement is to bring home the virtues of good that do good - with every purchase serving a purpose.
‘I struggled to find that balance between what I was doing and needing a purpose,’ Liz, 59, says. ‘ Looking back at my early career, something was missing. I’ve led a lucky life but I worked in a career where marginalised groups didn’t often get to tell their stories. My goal is to strive for absolute inclusivity and I feel so passionate about the work Different Kind does. It’s about selling brilliant products that also do good.’
She adds: ‘Women-led businesses get hardly any investment and it’s even less likely if you’re from a marginalised group. But our team at Different Kind is proud of the fact that we’re in our second or third careers and I hope it is inspiring to others to take that risk and not stay in a job that makes you unhappy. Find your purpose.’
Finding inspiration
After starting her career in newspapers and magazines, Liz was appointed as commissioning editor for factual and features at Channel 4 in 1998. She worked across Nigella Lawson’s first series, Nigella Bites, and the first series of Location, Location, Location with Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer.
‘I commissioned Nigella’s first series and I remember seeing the pilot after it had been delivered to my flat and I was instantly excited. It was unlike anything else that had been out and she was like a rock and roll star of food. She is the real deal. I remember going over to her house and she served up delicious food for us. She’s so generous.’
‘Kirstie and Phil came in separately for the presenting roles on Location, Location, Location but as soon as they were paired together, the chemistry was instant,’ she adds. ‘ They just had that from the get go.’
One thing that’s clear from Liz’s career is her keen eye for storytelling and determination to showcase unrepresented groups. Through the production company Betty TV, she developed the Baftanominated series The Undateables, which followed people with challenging conditions on their quest for love.
‘Something like The Undateables would have probably been put on late night in my early career but I was determined for it to get a prime-time slot like any other dating show and put these people’s stories at the forefront,’ she insists.
In 2016, Liz became the chief executive of Comic Relief and was introduced to the Luminary Bakery in Stoke Newington, which works with women who have experienced domestic violence or homelessness and helps to train them to become bakers. That concept inspired Different Kind, whose impressive list of producers include refugees, exoffenders, women-only businesses or social enterprises that train neuro-diverse young people for careers.
‘It’s key for our producers to be social enterprises that are doing some good for the community,’ Liz explains. ‘One great example is our one-armed potter called Gary who trained during his time in prison with a project called Landworks. He makes our espresso and Nordic mugs. For every purchase, a donation is made back to Landworks. I believe Gary is no longer an ex-convict in many people’s eyes but a potter who creates art.’
Christmas in the Warner household Away from her career, Liz is married with three children and insists their Christmas is just like any other.
‘I’m always so busy before Christmas and the tree never gets put up until late into December. We’ve scaled back and we like to buy small things for stockings. It’s about little and meaningful gifts that have thought and love behind them.
‘My children are teenagers now but
I’m sure they’d be miffed to lose their stockings. It’s a Christmas tradition for us, although they hate my husband’s baked leeks. That’s one tradition I think they wish would go! But as a family we’ve never been into giving masses of gifts. It’s more about receiving things from the heart.’
As for the best present Liz has ever received, it was one that came from a community and was packed with love and kindness.
‘The first Christmas we were a family of five, our neighbours on our street stood outside our window and sang Oh Little Town of Bethlehem. . It makes me cry just thinking about it.’