© Greg Swales
Fashion
The new AM to PM uniform of the work-from-home generation. We look at what’s in store for the sleepwear industry this year
When Twinkle Khanna released her novel Pyjamas Are Forgiving back in 2018, she probably did not predict the elevated relevance the title would assume in 2020. After all, it is what we spent the better part of last year in, in our attempt to social distance from a global health crisis. Many comparisons to comfort food were made, as pyjama sets emerged as the pandemic’s preferred power pairing. I could claim that I dressed up throughout the lockdown, but it would be a blatant lie. The early days of the pandemic saw me hop from one PJ set to another more expertly than the Bridgerton ladies glide in and out of gowns. Only a little has changed, to be honest.
My lockdown shopping cart, like many others, was dominated by the twin S's of skincare and sleepwear. Never before have I added such a volume of pyjamas to my closet in a matter of mere months—trusty staples from Uniqlo, India-inspired prints from Desmond & Dempsey, and homegrown labels discovered during aimless Instagram scrolls. There was also the curious case of a dedicated (read: frenzied) hunt for perfect lemon and avocado prints. Don’t ask me why.
I am willing to wager that I wasn’t the only one. We all had designated sleepwear to hibernate, hustle, and hunch over a book in. The months may have been a dystopian blur, but at least our pyjama sets were matching and monogrammed! Dormcore, slob-chic or sleepleisure, whatever you call it, numbers predict the continual rise of this comfort-first sartorial turn. According to a market research report by Technavio, the global sleepwear and loungewear market size is expected to grow by $19.5 billion between 2020-2024. It predicts a focus on sustainable raw materials and innovative technologies to marry comfort with quality and style.
“It’s simple really: The more time you spend in an environment, the more you seek to elevate your level of comfort in it,” says Sandeep Gonsalves, co-founder and director of bespoke design house Sarah & Sandeep. Locked down just like his patrons, the designer was really able to step into his customers’ shoes. “We started to think about ways to alleviate comfort-related pains that we (along with everyone else) were experiencing while working from home.” This led to the launch of their ‘comfort essentials’ range in August—a luxe gender-neutral collection to “straddle both public and private spaces” by way of their pyjama sets, robes and lounge accessories.
As our ‘all dressed up with nowhere to go’ lifestyle seeps into 2021 too, renowned British loungewear designer Olivia von Halle tells Vogue that this year will be about “a unique kind of decadent down-dressing,” too. Halle, whose uber luxe silk PJ sets are “often complimented as cocktail outfits” according to feedback from her shoppers, calls this the new era for luxury leisurewear. “Think of it as empowered glamour that finds easy expression, whether you’re working or partying from the comfort of your home,” adds the designer whose patrons include the likes of Angelina Jolie, Rita Ora and Winnie Harlow.
Gonsalves adds that with the success of the work-from-home experiment, workwear shoppers are also shifting focus to sleepwear and loungewear now. Cue: a rise in the demand for variety, versatility and superior quality.
Sarah & Sandeep aren’t the only homegrown label who made this pandemic pivot. Pune-based slow fashion brand Jodi, known for their eclectic block prints, launched Jodi Sleep in December; featuring (what else!) their signature happy patterns. As a true sign of the times, Nykaa released their intimate wear brand Nykd, which also includes solid-coloured sleepwear in soft cottons, last October. The same month, Zara launched their intimates collection, including pyjamas, nightgowns, silk robes and sleep masks. Samyukta Nair’s celebrity-loved label Dandelion continues to drop new covetable styles, her latest being a collaboration with maximalist artist and designer Param Sahib called ‘Hurrah Hindustan’. Shivan & Narresh’s lounge-friendly printed resort shirts and trousers are the kind you can easily take from bed to an intimate brunch.
One too many new launches? Not quite, because comfort-seeking (with a side of chic) quarantiners are here for it, Halle reveals a 115% increase in sales; with their embellished and floral designs, kimonos and silk pyjama sets being the most popular (they are slated to launch slippers soon). Desmond & Dempsey too saw an increase in the purchase of robes and slippers, while Gonsalves is working on extending their capsule collection into a more permanent part of the brand’s repertoire.
Just last month, Ruhi Mehra launched Ruh The Soul, a concept-driven sleepwear brand centred around a specially devised hypoallergenic fabric (IP pending) that they claim is the next best thing to sleeping naked. “Until the lockdown, a lot of people just used loose pants or worn out T-shirts to sleep in. But shoppers are paying more attention to fabrics, materials and comfort now.” Adaptation and innovation are being touted as the key to success.
Gonsalves feels design and durability are the next most important features after comfort. “The incoming wave is to create unique styles that can be styled used outside the house too. For example, clients tell us they are using our bottoms not just to sleep in, but as driving shorts too.” Blurring similar boundaries is New Delhi-based occasion-agnostic lounge and sleepwear brand Nochee Vida—a feat they manage with the use of bold prints that are not amiss beyond the bedroom too.
The bottom line, as Halle puts it, is that people want an easy elegance in their new (normal) wardrobes. “We now seek out joy in the everyday. Part of the joy, for many, is dressing to impress—even if the only person you’re impressing is the one in mirror! The clothes we live in reflect the people we are. So a new form of elevated, everyday luxury is called for. We may be staying at home for the present (or stepping out sparingly), but we can still do so in style.”
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