The personalised pyjamas that made it onto Love Island

The pandemic brought about a lot of changes for all of us, but for Sophie Bragger-Hall, it involved a surprising change of careers, giving rise to her personalised line of pyjamas, SH Sleepwear. Now a flourishing home business, Sophie continues to build it alongside her role as Customer Support Agent at Spabreaks.com. Here, she explains how it all came about. 

How did you start SH Sleepwear?

It was a spur of the moment thing that I started in June 2020, a few months into lockdown. I had been self-employed as a beauty therapist and I didn’t qualify for the furlough scheme, so when the lockdown happened I stopped earning anything which was pretty scary. My partner and I had just bought our first house and all of a sudden we had a mortgage to pay and it was quite a worrying time.

I had a lot of time on my hands and I saw all these companies making personalised pyjamas and I thought I could do something similar. So I ordered a plain pair and hand stitched my initials on them to see how they turned out. I posted them on Instagram, as you do, and within two days I had 50 orders! That made me think it was something I could take further.

What have been the challenges?

Initially I was hand sewing all the initials, which took ages, but as I got more orders I thought if I was going to do it I had better do it properly. I did a lot of research on embroidery machines because I had no experience, then took the plunge and bought one, teaching myself to use it with YouTube videos! 

I think I was also worried about the judgement I might get - I was concerned about starting a small business and what people might think, but everyone’s been incredibly supportive.

What have been the high points?

First of all, I really enjoy it. Seeing it be so well received has also been great for my confidence after the fright of having no money coming in. There was a period of time when it was my only income, and there had been a lot of pressure to think about what I could do while I couldn’t go back to work. I tend to always be proactive though, I can never sit still on the sofa and just watch the TV.

Then a really surreal moment came when they were worn on Love Island! Lucinda Strafford was a friend of a friend, and her mum reached out and said they were having a sleepover and wanted matching PJs. Saffron Barker and  Mimi Webb also wore them, which was amazing. I wasn’t even watching the episode when it aired, but my sister called and told me. I think Lucinda wore them three times in total on the show. On Instagram she also tagged my page from the sleepover and in one night I got 300 more followers. Just seeing my little business on there was amazing.

Are you planning to do other products as well as pyjamas?

In lockdown I did personalised face masks as well, which went down well, and I did fedoras in the winter. I’m looking into other things too, especially in the wedding market for hen parties and for bridesmaids getting ready with the bride. For example, I want to tie robes in with the sleepwear.

Where do you want to take it?

I’m currently looking into manufacturing my own styles rather than buying from a supplier and I have a few new collections in mind. I’m taking it step by step as I am working full-time as well so the weekends and evenings are the only time I can dedicate to it. I’m also looking into setting up a website as at the moment all sales are through Instagram and I think it will make it much easier to manage orders and make sure I’m giving people the customer experience I want to give them.