World goes bananas for irregular pyjamas

Jolene Crawford and Mil Stricevic do not have a regular business. Their pyjamas are quite the opposite.

Irregular Sleep Pattern was born in their family flat in Glasgow and now has fans around the world in New York, Hong Kong and Australia.

The couple say they went in to business because they could not find sleepwear that matched their bold aesthetic.

They count artists and celebrities among their devotees, including comedian Joe Lycett, but nothing makes them happier than seeing everyday people wearing their PJs.

"It's just as nice seeing someone not famous on the street wearing them," says Mil.

“We’re not interested in the influencer scene. But I think if someone has invested in it and it's making them happy, that's the biggest feel."

Rather than being just for bedtime, Mil and Jolene found many people were buying their pyjama sets for everyday wear.

This was not the intention when they launched Irregular Sleep Pattern in 2020, but the couple now wear them that way themselves.

“It's aesthetically irregular, but we also want to do business in an irregular way, which we see as a positive thing," says Jolene.

Until recently Mil, 57, and Jolene, 46, worked entirely out of the living room of their colourful flat in Glasgow's west end.

They have now expanded into a small studio in the city centre.

All their designs are created by Mil, who studied at the Royal College of Art in London. Jolene looks after the business end of things.

New designs and colourways are examined at the kitchen table, which Jolene says is much quieter now that three of their four girls have gone to university.

They are parents to twins Mila and Anna, 20, Ruby, 19, and 17-year-old Bella.

The extra space at home is handy, as the company stock is now stored in their children's old playroom.

The girls are very supportive of the business and helped model the PJs on Instagram when Irregular Sleep Pattern began.

Jolene says their idea for the business had been forming for a while.

She said they realised "if we're going to do it, we need to do this now", before launching through a crowdfunding platform in 2020.

They set a target of reaching £10,000 of sales, which they achieved in the first 24 hours.

Every item sold is posted from their flat.

Jolene packs each order with a hand written note, before going to the post office carrying sacks of pyjamas.

Their pyjama sets cost £155 for a full suit - £80 for the jacket and £75 for the trousers.

The couple are against fast fashion and keep their creations as sustainable as possible.

Mil says they "absolutely tried" to get items made in the UK but it was just not affordable.

To keep costs down they moved production from Portugal to a cotton factory in India - and it took a long time to find an ethical supplier.

Their products have now expanded from pyjamas to pillows and bedding, washbags and greeting cards.

They have even started creating neckerchiefs out of fabric scraps as part of their zero waste effort.

They have become friends with many of their customers. A few of them own every design they've made, which Jolene says is a "huge compliment".

One of their most prominent fans is comedian Joe Lycett, who has at least seven Irregular suits in his wardrobe and often appears on TV wearing their designs.

Lycett's latest is a custom suit he commissioned from them, which includes his own drawing of Harry Styles on the back.

He wore it live on Channel 4 on Friday night to present his Late Night Lycett programme.

Mil and Jolene both come from creative backgrounds.

Jolene was an arts television producer until 2019 before taking the plunge into the new business.

Mil teaches product design part-time at Glasgow School of Art. He has a design practice and is also creative director for Scotland's Williams Bros brewery.

At no point did the couple feel like they were "sacrificing" anything by starting their business and saw it as an opportunity.

"We were both having to learn new skills and make connections with our customers, who are really interesting people," says Jolene

"It is hard work so I guess we sacrificed any free time because Mil still works two other jobs.

"So we were working seven days a week, but it didn’t feel like a sacrifice because it was exciting."

Mil and Jolene were also in bands in their former lives, and wanted to bring their love of music to their business.

Their new collection, In Your Dreams, features each pyjama set named after music tracks that they love.

For the future of Irregular Sleep Pattern, their dream is to have a stand in Dover Street Market in London.

This summer, they will be travelling different markets and working on collaborations with other designers.

"It's not just about selling clothes," says Jolene. "It's about building a community."