Our Story

The founder, Alice

I dreamt up Yawn because I was finding it increasingly hard to relax – and the women in my life were feeling the same. I wanted to make beautiful pyjamas that give you a hug; that say it’s ok - good even - to slow down. 

I had become frazzled juggling the demands of management consultancy with a young family and had lost passion advising other businesses. I dreamt of creating a pj brand that would help other women to switch off. I approached Phil and Roly - co-owners of branding agency Without - to come on board as co-founders, bringing their wonderful creativity. Yawn was born, not just to remind me to relax, but to create a different kind of business: positive, collaborative and slow. 

Our growth since then has enabled us to hire a small, dedicated team. We're on a mission to create beautiful nightwear and see Yawn grow into a successful business that is a force for good in society.  

Here are Yawn's day-one principles: 

1. Take it slow.

Growth at Yawn comes from happy customers and word of mouth, not investors. This takes bucket loads of patience but means we can stay in control and make truly long-term decisions.

2. Attract stars.

We hire for 'spark' - fabulous attitude and a tendency to go beyond the call of duty.  We partner with stars too - we want to work with the best of the best - from mills to factories, logistics companies and freelancers.

3. Be good, have fun and laugh.

We are building an ethical business and have a strong focus on sustainability (see more here). We want Yawn to be a happy, fulfilling working environment where people behave well, trust one another and take care of each other.  Work should be (mostly) fun and team work is everything.

Yawn remains independent and is still growing organically. Big dreams for the future include achieving B Corp status (we’re working on it). We’re growing because we listen to you.

We love to stay in touch.  You can be a Yawn insider by signing up to our Zzz List  and do make sure to follow @yawnlondon for relaxing inspiration.

Happy dreaming.

Founder/MD, Yawn

 

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