HUSBAND and wife team Jolene Crawford and Mil Stricevic came up with the idea for sleepwear brand Irregular Sleep Pattern three years ago after they spotted a gap in the market for organic pyjamas and bedding with colourful patterns. They launched the brand during lockdown and have already had interest from the US, Canada, Japan and Korea on their Kickstarter campaign.

Name(s): Jolene Crawford and Mil Stricevic

Position(s): Co-founders

WHAT IS THE BUSINESS CALLED?

Irregular Sleep Pattern

WHERE IS IT BASED?

Glasgow

WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?

Jolene: We couldn’t find any bedding or sleepwear that we really loved.

Mil: We thought there was a gap in the market for this. Bedding is an underlooked area. We've just started the brand so it’s very small and not for everyone. It's niche as we focus on bright colours and patterns. It’s taken us three years to get to launch point. I’m a former product designer. I have designed stuff like shoes and sunglasses previously. I teach at the Glasgow School of Art part time. We wanted to make the products in Scotland if possible.

READ MORE: Young Scottish mum lands fashion job at Isolated Heroes after course success

Jolene: We had to compromise on some things. We wanted ethically made and organic fabric so we couldn’t make it in Scotland or the UK. Mil designed the shape of the pyjama suit and the background. With my background in TV producing I am used to deadlines. Until November we were both working full time and raising four girls. We're delighted with it.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Mil: We were just about to start production in Portugal in March. I had booked flights two weeks before lockdown to visit the factory. I haven’t been there yet and it’s difficult to make it happen when you’re in a different country – that's the main downside. We've had lots of time together with the kids during lockdown building the story behind the brand. We're not selling in shops so it relies on people being able to find the site.

Jolene: In working from the kids playroom has become our studio. It means we had six people to model pyjamas so lockdown has not been too bad. We first had the idea three years ago and we have been fortunate that we have been able to turn spending time at home into a positive.

Mil: For our Kickstarter video we roped friends and family in so it feels quite personal. Lockdown forced us to be resourceful.

WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?

Jolene: People like us that work in the creative sector and enjoy art or fashion and want to shop ethically. It's a higher price so the product is built to last and it’s an investment. Mil: We use twin needle construction which is what you see on jeans and workwear. It isn’t fast fashion but it isn’t luxury either. It's ethically made in small batches. Feedback is indicating international interest from Japan, Korea, China, Canada and the US.

READ MORE: Coronavirus in Scotland: How outdoor clothing firm Keela started making PPE

It’s a niche audience. Those who like it will really love it. We can tell from our followers on Instagram that our target market is people who are interested in the environment who want to buy less but better-quality clothing. We get lots of clothes second hand on Ebay. Pretty Little Thing has got people talking about the ethics of fast fashion.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?

Mil: No one is doing the same thing. There is a rise in sleepwear and bedding being silky or luxurious and we’re not trying to do that. It is gender neutral and tailored. We are also trying to extend our sizing to be a bit more inclusive. Jolene: No one is doing the pattern and colour like we are and exclusively organic cotton. We're not in it for the money and want to feel good about what we’re doing. We don’t like the cyclical natutre of fast fashion. We won’t release seasonally, only in small batches. It's not dictated by the conventional fashion cycle.

Fashion houses shouldn’t do regular shows. It's a side of the business I don’t like – the idea that you need to keep churning stuff out. There's an element of fashion education behind some clothing brands that we like, to be considerate about what we’re buying.

IS SCOTLAND A GOOD PLACE FOR THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS?

Mil: IT’S as good as anywhere else. We're happy to be a Scottish business and support the cultural scene here. There’s a network of interesting creative people in Glasgow and we work with artists to make the patterns. There’s good business support here. There aren’t a lot of people doing start-ups in our sector so we’ve had support from Fashion Foundry and Scottish Enterprise. Jolene: The models are our friends and they work in creative sectors. We want to celebrate creativity Scotland has to offer.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

Mil: Seeing people wearing the pyjamas.

Jolene: It’s really fun to create something together. It's good to be challenged. We’re both in our 40s and 50s so we’re older than other people starting businesses. It's mainly good working together. Our skills complement each other. Mil is working full time on top of this.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN RUNNING THE BUSINESS?

Jolene: Everything we’ve got to learn like finance and admin side. We're trying not to get overwhelmed and take it one day at a time. We don’t know what Brexit will mean for importing and exporting to Portugal.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS?

Jolene: Seeing people all around the world wearing Irregular Sleep Pattern. It's a niche audience that exists globally. We will start in the UK then branch out to the overseas market.

Mil: We want to do a few things well. We're not going to do scrunchies or anything like that in the future – it will all be sleep related.