Melburnian David Zwier quit his job as a global brand manager to launch Bonny, a new responsibly made doona brand, after he had a lightbulb moment on the ski slopes in 2021.

“I’m a big skier … and from my experience, wearing crappy ski gear meant having a crappy time,” he says. “When I started using a down jacket, I was blown away by the warmth, lightness and compressibility of it.”

Zwier’s realisation led him to think about his bedding: “I had no idea where my doona was from,” he says. “I could tell you my mattress brand, where I bought my sheets, even my toilet paper, but I couldn’t name a single doona brand.”

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He sent a survey to 150 friends asking them about their sleeping purchases, and when he found that only 35 per cent could name a doona brand he set about creating Bonny.

“There’s a lot of noise out there, and the market isn’t speaking to young people, who primarily shop online. There’s so much information and it was easy to get lost in a wall of products – down, bamboo, thread count, fill power, feather ratio, duck, goose etc,” he says.

Bonny has three doona styles: Summer ($249), Winter ($349) and the All Rounder ($299), each one made using 90 per cent duck down, certified with the Responsible Down Standard which ensures ethical animal welfare practice. Plus, customers get a unique Track My Down number so you can trace where the down has come from.

“If you’re visualising a super soft, fluffy and luxurious doona, you’re most likely imagining a down doona,” Zwier says. “A good-quality doona, with high down-to-feather ratio, should last 10 to 15 years. Down is resilient and will continue to be fluffy over time, even when compressed.”

The online-only brand also lets you try out the doonas and return them – without charge – if it’s not right for you. “We decided to turn what others may perceive as a negative business outcome (returns) into something positive, where we can really make a difference,” says the founder.

Returned bedding is washed and donated to someone who might be sleeping rough, fleeing domestic violence or settling in Australia in a refugee centre. “We also help facilitate the donation of our customers’ old doonas, so they don’t end up in landfill,” he says.

“Our goal is to eventually offer a ‘re-up’ service to get your doona’s outer casing cleaned and the down filling topped up,” adds Zwier. “We believe this could significantly increase the useful life of your doona.”

Bonny’s doonas have a wavy pattern running vertically down the doona so you always know which way is up when you’re changing the sheets – and the design helps avoid the down from clumping at the bottom of the bed. Plus, each doona is delivered in a reusable cotton storage bag, with recyclable paper, and zero single-use plastic is used in the products’ production.

Bonny doonas range from $249–$349. Shipping is free across Australia.