PJs
Drinking tea and reading book

Entrepreneurs are designing chic PJs for more than just sleeping.

By Rieva Lesonsky

I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when my significant other is out of town and I have nowhere to go, I stay in my pajamas all day. I actually did that Sunday—even went outside to water my lawn in my PJs. And none of my neighbors looked twice.

That’s because I’m not alone. According to Fast Company, the newest trend is pajamas that can be worn inside and outside the house. Earlier this year The Wall Street Journal said pajamas were “more chic than yoga wear and just as forgiving.” The Journal quoted Neiman Marcus fashion director Ken Downing as saying, “Sleepwear is chic wear in the coolest closets.”

For consumers, the concept of wearing pajamas outside of sleeping hours is bolstered by TV characters who are seen sporting fancy jammies. (Of course, the cute pajama trend was launched by TV lawyer Ally McBeal 19 years ago.)

The Fast Company article focuses on several entrepreneurial endeavors to become the “Lululemon of the pajama industry,” and the small companies featured are doing quite well. One entrepreneur, Andy Spade, the cofounder of mega-successful fashion line Kate Spade, started Sleepy Jones, a sleepwear company, in 2013. Spade told Fast Company he “envisioned separates that could go from the bed to the office to dinner” (there are women’s and men’s lines) and entered the category since no one brand dominated it. Sleepy Jones’ sales have doubled year-over-year, and the brand is a huge hit in Japan.

As well as Spade and the other entrepreneurs featured in the article are doing, there’s still no dominant pajama player—so there’s plenty of room for entrepreneurs to jump in. As Spade told Fast Company, “I think in 10 years we’ll see this as a real force as a category. I just see this as a huge opportunity.”