Sleeping In Style: A Chat Between Dreams
Bailey & Greta
General Sleep
Pyjamas handmade in India using hand-loomed fabrics, designed in New Zealand.
www.generalsleepstore.com
@generalsleepstore
When was the last time you had a great sleep? Not just the bare minimum recharge-and-back-to-work snooze but a proper, restful slumber? We all know sleep is important for our mental and physical health, but despite our best efforts it can sometimes be a struggle to ensure we experience high quality sleep—and to get enough of it.
General Sleep is Aotearoa’s very own luxury sleepwear brand, designed right here and carefully crafted in India by hand using traditional hand-loomed fabrics. Their ethos is centred around the importance of rest, and all of their pyjamas are designed to enhance our relationship with sleep through comfort and quality. “In a sleepless and highly productive society, perhaps now more than ever, sleep and the moments around it should be celebrated for essential rest and daily healing.”
Co-founders Bailey and Greta have proudly established meaningful relationships with their community of weavers in India, working closely together in the creation of their latest collection for Autumn Winter 2020, Rest Easy.
The real beauty of these garments is their versatility. Not only destined for the bedroom, they actually look so damn good you can get away with wearing them anywhere: out for brunch, to the grocery store (not hoarding TP, promise), an evening stroll—at least, that’s what I’ve been doing. The Everyone Trouser (I’ve got the Navy) is comfortable, breathable and incredibly soft. And when you wear these bad boys to bed, I’m telling you right now: the comfort is on another level. It’s goodnight, game over and sweet dreams you stylish son of a gun.
Kia ora kōrua. Bailey, it’s lovely to catch up again, hi Greta! What can you tell us about your new collection for Autumn/Winter 2020?
Bailey: This collection represents a new chapter in General Sleep’s life. Since its inception, our goal has been to work with ethically run manufacturers that celebrate and place importance on the artisan craft of hand looming. This season we began working with a company that uses GOTS and Oeko-Tex certified cotton, and it has added another **** to our brand and offering.
Hand-looming has been around since the dawn of time and is still practiced today. What is the best thing about working directly with the artisan weavers in India and why did you decide to collaborate with them for General Sleep?
Greta: It’s such an intricate and difficult skill to learn, one that is passed down through generations. We believe in celebrating and supporting those families that continue to practice this artisanal craft. The best thing about working with such a unique product is knowing the human hands that have worked on creating this cloth and the families and communities we are supporting by choosing hand loom.
“...sleep and the moments around it should be celebrated for essential rest and daily healing.”
What are some of your inspirations for the new collection?
B: Rather than creating seasonal collections, we work with a select range of classic shapes that we offer year-round. Our collections are driven by fabrics and the changes in seasonality throughout the year. This time we designed a soft, calming brushed organic cotton and a deep, grounding navy cotton linen.
In this age of screens, notifications and blue-light exposure, how best can we celebrate sleep?
B: It’s important to recognize that our bodies take time to wind down before going to sleep. Incorporating bedtime rituals such as running a bath, stretching, making a nice cup of herbal tea for bed; these all signal to our bodies that it’s time to start shutting down and help in that transition from awake to sleep—giving you the best night’s rest possible.
Why do you think high quality sleepwear is so important?
G: We spend an average of eight hours a day in bed. General Sleep is designed to move and breathe with your body, aiding in a good night’s rest.
Sustainability and conscious consumption are at the core of your business. What are your thoughts on the role of the consumer versus the manufacturer in regard to ethical and environmental responsibilities?
G: I think it's important for both consumer and manufacturer to take responsibility for their choices when it comes to consumerism. We need to be asking questions and educating ourselves on what we can do to play our part in ensuring what we produce or purchase has been made with integrity. I believe there is a shift occurring with more people asking where and how things are made which creates accountability for us all.
We all remember the famous ‘togs, togs, undies’ TV ads right? General Sleep garments look so good they kind of blur the line between pyjamas and daily wear, is there a limit to where and when your customers can go in their PJs?
B: Not at all! General Sleep’s ethos is to create sleepwear that you can wear all weekend long—whether it’s up the road for your morning coffee or an afternoon at the beach.
Thank you both for your time. Bailey, one last thing before you go:
Best way to unwind before bed?
Taking a bath with essential oils.
Weirdest dream you’ve had recently?
I honestly don’t dream very often!
How many hours do you sleep per night?
It depends, but I always aim for eight hours.