How Asya and Kate earned in Hollywood by selling Ukrainian pajamas
'29.10.2018'
Source: Fast Company
In 2014, at the height of the crisis in Ukraine, two young women, Asya and Katya, launched a brand of luxury pajamas designed to be worn outside the home. It was a pretty crazy idea and definitely worth pursuing. Now their pajamas are worn by Hollywood stars - and not only in bed.
There are days when you get out of bed and don't want to think about what to wear at all. You just slip your sweater over your pajamas and go out for coffee. For some, pajamas are a lazy Sunday uniform. And for someone working from home, it is quite a good work choice for a typical Tuesday, writes Fast Company.
A start-up of luxury clothes was created so that we no longer feel embarrassed because of our everyday pajamas and just enjoyed her comfort.
“There have always been people who wear pajamas all day,” says Asya Varetsa, co-founder of Ukrainian homewear brand Sleeper. “They always seem so happy. Why doesn't everyone wear clothes that make you feel comfortable and happy? ”
In 2014, Varetsa, together with his companion Katya Zubareva, decided to create fashionable clothes specifically designed to be worn “out of bed and all day”. For example, the $ 200 line of silk slip dresses each - they look like a nightgown, but add heels and a leather jacket, and voila, you're ready for a date. Slip it on with a blazer and boots and you're ready to face the boss. Or get a $ 220 linen robe that can be worn over a nightgown at home, or as a sundress that looks respectable for a party or office, or you can wear it to the beach.
Sleeper quickly gained an audience of fans - celebrities such as Leandra Medine from Man Repeller, actress and model Emily Ratajkowski, singer Rita Ora and fashion investor-entrepreneur Miroslava Duma became interested in the brand. Last summer, Marie Claire announced Sleeper's “Lingerie” dress “Best Apparel of the Year”. And retailers ranging from Harrods to Moda Operandi and Barneys want Sleeper on their shelves.
Varetsa says it took courage to start Sleeper. Back in early 2014, she wanted to start her own business - she moved from Russia to Ukraine to create a brand in Kiev with her friend Katya. But she arrived in the midst of the Maidan, violent anti-government protests that have resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Over the next few months, a full-scale revolution seized Ukraine, creating a natural crisis in the economy and labor resources. In the midst of this crisis, Varets and Zubariev, who were then 20 and a little longer, decided that they could try to start a business.
“In this context, you become fearless,” explains Varetsa. “You feel like you have nothing to lose. So many people our age were unemployed - and it was good to do something for ourselves. "
They had just 2 thousands of dollars and a couple was looking for a seamstress who could sew a pair of pajamas. Varets herself created the site, they found talented friends for shooting models. The girls turned to fashion journalists, and after a few weeks Frank Sozani, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, called Sleeper the brand of the month. This allowed Sleeper to occupy a place on the fashion map. Other glossy magazines quickly spotted the brand, and first-class department stores began asking about product shipments to stores.
Varets and Zubareva decided to focus on improving the supply chain to meet this demand. To ensure quality control, they moved into their workshop and hired a team of seamstresses with ten years of experience. The production of each piece of clothing takes from 8 to 12 hours and is performed manually. The company uses only natural, environmentally friendly fibers, such as organic flax and silk.
Now the team employs 20 people. Varec has just moved to New York, since 80% of Sleeper sales now come from the US market. Revenues are growing steadily: last year the brand's turnover grew by 150%.
Sleeper has become part of a broad trend in the fashion world: designers have moved away from traditional sleeping clothes in their collections. Back in 2015, the podium was full of models in a pajama style, from Gucci and Alexander McQueen to Diane von Furstenberg. By 2016, the idea was picked up by celebrities, for example, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Selena Gomez appeared in pajamas on the red carpet. The founders of Sleeper believe that pajamas have leaked into the mainstream. And they believe that these clothes will remain here.
“We're seeing Americans increasingly want to feel comfortable in what they wear every day,” says Varetsa.
And there is a reason for this. American fashion is becoming more relaxed. Back in 60, most men wore costumes every day, and many women did not leave the house without elegant dresses, hats and purses. But over the past few decades, thanks in part to the culture of Silicon Valley, many jobs have allowed employees to dress comfortably in the office. Instead of dresses or blazers, people began to wear jeans and hoodies. Then there was the tendency to wear yoga pants, as if you had just left the gym. So why not wear pajamas in the office?
However, this does not mean that you will really sleep in what you will go out into the street, and vice versa. In the four years of the brand’s existence, according to Varets, people buy these things to really wear them during the day.
“When people talk about pajamas, they often really mean loungewear,” says Varetsa. “These clothes evoke an emotional response. It makes people feel comfortable and happy and they want to wear it outside the bedroom. "
Customers wear these outfits when they want to relax at home before going to bed or read a book on the weekend, because in such pajamas it is no longer just a pastime, but a glamorous form of relaxation. Sleeper's goal is to make these frivolous garments a little more functional by allowing people to wear them in new contexts, explains Varetsa.
“We've all been influenced by the same Hollywood movies of women relaxing in pretty pajamas,” says Varetsa. “Wearing these items creates a cozy, upbeat mood. Why shouldn't we wear what makes us happy every day? ”
