Ten Questions – Lewis Warren of Takona

We spoke last year of our belief that classic cars and mental health are inexorably linked and it’s a belief we still stand by. It’s also a belief shared by Takona, the focus of this latest edition of our popular Ten Questions series. Takona is a company who’s ethos is to drive mental health awareness through automotive inspired design, making talking about mental health commonplace, and encouraging the automotive community to confide in each-other when things get tough. Well, seeing as how October the 10th is World Mental Health Day we thought we’d sit down with Lewis Warren, founder of Takona for a chat. But remember, it’s not just today that’s important for mental health awareness, it’s every day, something that Lewis, Takona and all of us here at Car & Classic are very aware of and passionate about so if you want to talk, you don’t have to wait.

1) So Lewis, for those that are unaware, in your own words, can you tell us what Takona is and what it does?

Takona is a lifestyle brand essentially, using automotive design as the catalyst for conversation. It exists to encourage people to talk more about their mental health using cars to get things going.

2) What was the catalyst for starting Takona and when did it all come together into a fully realised entity?

It sort of just happened really, a couple of friends and I were talking about the idea of an automotive clothing brand and they didn’t really have any free time to explore it. I worked in logistics and had started working with a company that were doing print on demand services so it sparked the idea to explore it properly by myself. I’d noticed that in a lot of meetings with potential customers if we got onto the topic of cars, and the person I was talking to was an enthusiast, it made the conversation flow so much easier and the business side of things became much less stressful as we’d become friends almost immediately. I took this idea and combined it with a lot of what I had learned working in psychiatric healthcare, mainly how getting someone to talk about things often lead the way to making a bigger positive impact, and the Takona idea was born.

3) Is Takona a one man show or do you have a team of people helping you?

Officially it’s just me, bumbling around trying to figure out how to make things work and make the idea grow. In reality I’m surrounded by friends that help when it’s more than I can manage alone, and especially by my Fiancé who’s been the biggest supporter of what I do from day one, not to be all soppy, but a lot of it wouldn’t be happening if not for her.

4) All topics are fair game when it comes to speaking about mental health, that’s kind of the whole point, but this year’s theme, set by the World Foundation of Mental Health, is ‘Mental health is a universal human right’. How does that tie in with what Takona is doing and what is your stance on the subject?

I believe all topics have their value and are important to learn and discuss, I think the nuance comes with knowing the other party within the conversation and having a clearer understanding of where their boundaries lay. If we’re not careful it can be easy to misjudge another persons experiences and provoke traumatic memories, or touch upon something sensitive that can cause distress, this isn’t to say they shouldn’t be discussed, but should be handled with care. Regarding the World Foundations of Mental Health’s theme, I believe that mental health should certainly have a foundation in human rights, after all our mental wellbeing is what drives pretty much everything we do, our wants, our desires, what makes us happy, what gives us motivation, it all comes down to how we feel in our own heads. It may be a controversial topic as a human right as its so much harder to quantify than physical health, it’s much harder to truly gauge the impact on mental wellbeing as it isn’t outwardly as visible until its towards a more extreme end of the scale.

5) You’ve also started a Podcast: Takona TLKS. Is that still going and if so which three people, living or dead would you love to sit down for a chat with?

It’s been running for over two years now, and I’ve been very fortunate with some of the guests who have sat down for a chat already. I’d have loved to have spoken with Stirling Moss, a truly inspirational driver, and from the stories I’ve heard an amazing guy. As controversial as he can be, I’d like to get Mr Clarkson on. Growing up watching his work hugely influenced my, and so many others, love of cars. Gordon Murray is pretty near the top of my list of people to ask, someone who’s done what he did in formula one, created the McLaren F1 and is now running his own car company, an inspirational guy for anyone who shares this passion for automotive, and someone who will have a fair share of stories. What I often look for most in guests are the stories they have, some of the wild and wonderful adventures. I feel that having a sense of wonder and excitement around what we do is what inspires and encourages others, and I like to see that in people that others may put on a bit of a pedestal. The real person that exists is a human after all.

6) We’ve seen and chatted to you at numerous events throughout the year, from the Scramble at Bicester Heritage to our very own Auto-Social meets but you also run your own coffees and cars mornings. What can you tell us about that?

Coffees and Cars started as a way to help a friend and build community. I was living in a small Hertfordshire village and had become friends with the owner of a coffee shop (Mike). We’d connected, of course, over our love of cars. Unfortunately Mike’s project car wasn’t yet roadworthy and he was running the cafe on a few weekends which meant he couldn’t get to most of the car events. While chatting one morning over a coffee we came up with the idea to start a car meet at his cafe. The village car parks were free on Sundays and we could start building a community around cars along with supporting his business through the ups and downs of the various lockdowns etc. of 2021.

We’d agreed that these events would be about community and bringing people together, the concept being that it’s a good way of making friends and getting people talking. If we can start with cars, and have an understanding that mental health isn’t an off the table topic, it can make that journey much easier and hopefully reduce a lot of the stigma. Since then I’ve worked with 7 more partner locations to create a network of monthly meets across the country with this shared idea that community and conversation can occur around cars.

7) Speaking of seeing you at events, your liveried Toyota GT86 is rather recognisable but we’ve also spotted a Renault 5 with Takona branding before. Is there a Takona fleet and what’s your daily?

The GT86 is my main car really, I had bought the plucky little 5 in 2021 as I’d had a real want for a small classic to run around in, unfortunately it’s been off the road as much as it’s been on it due to some reoccurring gremlins that keep popping up, but it’ll stay with me for a while yet, I love that little car as it never ceases putting a smile on my face. Possibly the best £500 I’ve ever spent.

8) We’re sure the GT86 is a future classic but where do your passions lie when it comes to classic cars?

I love classics, and as I’ve matured a bit I’ve started to appreciate them much more than modern cars. That might also be because modern cars are a bit boring in comparison and often a lot less flavoursome. I had a 1988 Mini Mayfair as my first car and learned so much from it, mainly because it would break quite often and I didn’t have the money to take it to a professional, but it was lessons learnt happily rather than begrudgingly, even when it wasn’t broken I was always tinkering. That mini has somewhat of a role to play in the Takona story thanks to the number of people it started conversations with. A car that broke down boundaries like nothing else, from millionaires in supercars, to kids on BMX’s, that little car would get anyone talking.

If Takona grows into something big enough to sustain the passion I’d like to get at least another classic as a Takona vehicle, the charm and character of them is a great conversation starter.

9) Despite doing incredible work in raising awareness Takona isn’t actually a charity but you do give 10% of your profits to the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). What can people do to get involved and help support what you do?

It’s the people that wear our clothing, come to our events, listen to the podcast, and most importantly talk to others around them that make the real difference, Takona is more of a tool to get that conversation started. To support the idea the main thing people can do is engage with what we’re up to and use it to help others. Wear a t-shirt that shows off your passion and not be afraid to talk to someone if they recognise the car, chuck a sticker on your back window that lets other people know that they can talk about their mental health, come to a car meet and talk to someone about their car, watch their face light up when you express an interest in the thing their passionate about. It doesn’t have to be anything to do with Takona, but if it helps make that concept easier to share, then it has its place.

“Is Takona a Charity?” Is a question I get asked a lot, as I’m not providing services in the way that CALM, Mind, or the other amazing charities out there do I don’t think it would be right for it to pretend to be more than it is. Maybe one day it’ll be big enough that I can create a charity and start putting resources into providing services, for now it’s a concept around using branding to create connection.

10) And finally, what does the future hold for Takona and where do you see yourself and the brand in five years?

It’s hard to set goals that far off as currently every day is figuring out something new and searching for the missing puzzle pieces to make everything click. For now I’d be happy with it becoming big enough for me to do it full time as I still work a part time job alongside. I’d like to see the idea grow into something fully fledged, a Takona location would be an ideal point to reach within five years. Having a place where we could build community, invite guests for the podcast, and hopefully work with people who can benefit from what Takona stands for would be perfect.