Guildford based social media star Sophie Liard, aka The Folding Lady, tells us how her online tutorials won her millions of fans and why organising can streamline your life
When former House of Fraser worker Sophie Liard launched The Folding Lady in 2020 to share her folding and organising tutorials, she couldn’t have predicted how popular the content would become.
Just like the new wave of home organising, editing and cleaning shows and experts who have gained loyal followings in recent years, Sophie’s videos showcasing clever solutions for making the most of small space living are highly watchable and soothing in equal measure. Today, she has 4.3 million followers and 46 million likes on TikTok and over 600,000 fans on Instagram – what she calls her ‘folding fam’ – and the numbers keep on growing.
The Folding Lady was born out of a desire to help people let go of trying to tackle those all-consuming tasks around the home and to take back control by conquering smaller activities that bring a sense of comfort, clarity and positivity.
Now’s she has compiled her know-how in a new book, The Folding Lady. It’ll teach you how to fold all your household items, room by room, complete with illustrations of the various techniques.
Sophie had a ‘pinch me’ moment when she first saw the book in the flesh. ‘I’m not a crier so I wasn’t going to cry but it’s a joyful moment,’ she says. ‘You read it over and over and do all the edits but then there is quite a long period from when it goes to print and arrives at your house.’
She’s keen to stress that it’s not just about the practical side of folding. ‘It’s about happiness and finding contentment in your home,’ she says. ‘It's all about the after-value concept and how you will feel once it’s done. You won’t be looking for stuff when you are running late, you’ll know what you have in your wardrobe and you won’t be buying more than you need so you’re not being wasteful.’
She advises people to start with the tasks that are really bothering them and causing a bad energy in the house. 'Your house should allow you to always be on time, even if you are running late so decide what you want to work better – what can you never find or what are you always sweating over – and work from that emotion,’ she says.
She stresses that you don’t need to tackle an entire wardrobe revamp and that starting with just one drawer can kick-start a while new dynamic. It’s all about knowing what you need to streamline your day. ‘All it takes is a bit of thoughtful organisation. Life isn’t rosy but we can make those little annoyances go away,’ she says.
The ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ approach is easy to understand. ‘With towels and bedsheets, I feel like some people can have too many,’ she says. ‘I think that everyone in my house has two sets of bedsheets each – I don’t think I'd have more than three. But we like to collect things, don’t we?’ There’s a bedsheet set of folds in the book for all sizes that will keep your bedsheet, fitted sheet and pillowcases all wrapped up in one handy parcel.
Working through the folds for different items means you can free up space, if needed, and enjoy having cupboards and drawers that aren’t full to the brim. ‘In the book I talk about why I started folding my underwear, which I think Is where most people draw the line,’ she laughs. ‘I had these favourite black knickers I wore to work. I thought I had 10 pairs of them but I always struggled to find them. When I started folding them, I realised I had about a million pairs. I even found brand new ones at the back of the drawer.’
Sophie was approached by three different publishers in the space of a week to write a book – a thought that hadn’t previously crossed her mind, although she’s glad she took the leap. ‘I’m an avid reader so to write my own book is such an honour,’ she says. ‘It’s an unreal experience that I am really grateful for.’
On her rise to social media stardom and now being a published author, she says she’s still taking it all in. ‘I have felt overwhelmed in the past,’ she admits. ‘I’m not through that but I have embraced it. At the beginning I never showed my face, it was just my hands, folding. No one knew who I was for a very long time, which was quite funny.’
Sophie left school aged 16 and went to work for Guildford’s House of Fraser, which is where she discovered her talent for folding. ‘I’ve always worked with clothes and folding was a massive part of retail,’ she says. ‘I’ve worked with lots of different brands and have learnt how to fold certain things. Anyone can do it but, as with most things, there is an element of practise needed.’
She still pays a visit occasionally, when popping into town. ‘I’ve still got some friends there. Some people have worked there for a very long time,’ she says. ‘They know how much I used to love to merchandise and it was a running joke that my folding skills were good. ‘Some of us found it much more of a mindful activity – my favourite part of the day was tidying up. When you take the time to size-order jeans and then see the customer really easily find what they need it’s really satisfying.' She continues: ‘I just love organising stuff. I never run out of things to do at home as it’s a never-ending job.’
In terms of what the future holds, Sophie is taking it in her stride. ‘I haven’t really looked beyond the book,’ she laughs. ‘I definitely want to write a second one. I have no idea what it will be about, as I want to wait and see what resonates with people from this first one. But I know I have more to say.’
The Folding Lady by Sophie Liard is published by Yellow Kite, out now. You can find out more about Sophie at thefoldinglady.com
