Why Mike Pharaoh gave up corporate branding to build Plant World

Mike Pharaoh built a career working with corporate and real estate clients before deciding the arrangement was backwards. The brain holds a finite amount of creative resource each day, he reasoned, and his own projects were getting the dregs. So he took a day job in streetwear product development to keep his design lobe fresh, then poured what was left into Plant World Studio, the brand he runs in Melbourne. It started during COVID, burning incense and posting design work to Instagram, and grew into a catalogue where candles sit beside caps, bottles and rugs. We caught up with him to talk about the journey, from naming scents like bands to why he won’t let profit steer the ship. TBI: Hi Mike! How’s things? MP: Things are good; I just moved house, which is never fun – especially while trying to pack orders. A bigger garage means more inventory space, though. I’ve also just finally launched the new packaging for my incense and a new scent. Lots on the go.