Melbourne mum’s sleepwear brand blows up in lockdown

A Melbourne mum who quit her corporate job to build her brand was shocked to learn just how popular it would become in such a short time.

Sherri Kiernikowski was sitting on her couch in “uncomfy pyjamas” feeding her twin boys when she had a light bulb moment.

The Melbourne mother-of-two was so determined to bring her idea to life that she quit her corporate job in telecommunications to focus on building her now very successful brand, Wanderluxe Sleepwear.

“I spent a lot of time at home in my pyjamas that weren’t very comfortable and weren’t the ones you wanted to answer the door in either, so I decided I wanted to do something on my own,” Sherri told news.com.au.

She then spent the following two years researching the “perfect” blend of fabrics. When she couldn’t find it, she decided to create her own.

“Picking the right fabrics took months and months of going back and forth. We not only had to get the blend right, but we also had to make sure it passed the wash test and stood the test of time,” Sherri said.

Sherri Kiernikowski, pictured with her sons, was on a mission to create the ultimate pyjamas for women.

She created Wanderluxe Sleepwear four years ago but sales doubled during lockdown.

After finally getting it to her standards, the 49-year-old combined her “luxuriously light and soft finish” fabric – which is a cotton modal blend – with her desire to create a “his shirt for her” style.

“I began to realise that sleeping in a man’s shirt was definitely not something comfortable or breathable. And when I couldn’t find the fabric I liked, I came up with my own blend.”

After merging the two together, she officially launched Wanderluxe Sleepwear in 2017, based on the principles of Savile Row tailoring.

“It was a big risk because we self-funded it, but luckily my husband believed in me,” she laughed.

In the four years since Sherri launched the brand, it has gone from strength to strength with its biggest turning point coming at the start of lockdown last year.

“Over the last 18 months, we have doubled our sales with our bestsellers being the long pyjama sets in winter and boxer shirts in summer,” Sherri said.

Sherri said she was thrilled to collaborate with Kate Waterhouse (right) on her brand’s latest collection.

She explained that it’s the little details such as the softness of the fabric and its stylish looks that have made the garments desirable, particularly during lockdown.

Last year, sleepwear creators reported as much as a 225 per cent increase in sales compared to April 2019, with the sudden spike due to people’s desire to opt for more comfortable attire while in lockdown.

“For me, the biggest excitement is when someone comes back and buys something again. That to me is a win,” Sherri said.

“It’s because you often second guess yourself – ‘Have I done it right? Will people actually like it?’ – and then when people come back for a product, that’s when it makes all the hand work worthwhile.”

However, to Sherri’s shock, her success didn’t end there.

Her brand has not only gone on to attract the likes of major retailers such as David Jones and The Iconic, which now stock her garments online, but it has also caught the attention of racing royalty Kate Waterhouse.

“I met Kate at a Mother’s Day event in Sydney earlier this year and I have always loved her style. I thought it would so amazing if she wanted to work on a collection and when I reached out and she said yes, I was so excited,” Sherri said.

Sherri wanted to create the perfect ‘his shirt for her’ pyjamas, that were also comfortable and stylish.

Kate, who also runs her own fashion website, told news.com.au that she immediately fell in love with the brand’s beautiful design.

“If it’s a brand you believe in and love, it’s easy to collaborate,” Kate said.

The fellow mother-of-two worked on her collection with the sleepwear label during Sydney’s most recent lockdown.

“It was where I got a lot of my inspiration for the vibrant colours – capturing the blue of the sky, the purple of jacaranda trees and the pink and red tones of the sweet summer florals,” Kate said.

She also joked that her collection is definitely the kind you would happily answer the door in.

“I often have a shower and get straight into my pyjamas. This goes for the rest of my family too, with my girls often putting on their pyjamas immediately after school. It truly is how we switch off, slow down and unwind,” she said.

Growing up immersed in her family’s suiting business, Sherri was exposed to the world of fashion from a young age and developed a passion for luxury fabrics and tailoring.

Kate’s collection features vibrant colours that she said encapsulates a ‘Sunday morning well spent’.

And while she said being surrounded by that environment definitely helped in her success, just like any small business, she still faced plenty of challenges along the way.

“Making fabric is a whole new learning curve for me – something I have never done before,” she said.

“And having a young family I also needed to make sure I was available for them,” she said, adding that “multi-tasking” has been key throughout her journey.

“I loved the fact that running my own business meant doing things when I wanted, whether it be starting at 6am or 10pm. Just having that flexibility helps.

“But I would always make sure the kids had what they needed before I focused on the business.”

Sherri said she ultimately wanted to do something for herself and when she couldn’t find any sleepwear that she loved, that’s when she decided this was her time.

“I was on maternity leave when I decided I didn’t want to go back – that it was time to do something for myself and see how far I could push myself,” she said.

And that she did, telling news.com.au: “It has been an amazing journey.

“I am quite overwhelmed by how well it’s gone and the fact Kate wanted to collaborate and take us to the next level has been so humbling.”

The new Kate Waterhouse x Wanderluxe Collection is available for purchase from wanderluxesleepwear.com and David Jones (in-store and online) from mid-November.