LESSONS FROM OUR PYJAMA START-UP

The product we all love is made by real people. Which means real success and real mistakes. Every stitch line is guided by a hand and every pattern piece is cut with care. They are perfectionists on a good day, and will be tired and forgetful on a bad one.

Speaking very honestly here, production is an emotional roller coaster! Like any other back office job, the Make team at D&D is definitely not the most glam, but in a job of delays and problems, it’s run by some pretty hopeless optimists. We need to break the perception of this job being all numbers and spreadsheets!

Most of our day is relationship building, going with our gut and looking after the people who make everything happen - the makers!

On bad days we say: It’s only pyjamas, we are not saving lives. But that’s not really the point. We are all part of a long chain of events from paying people's bills to helping someone sleep.

Whenever I get frustrated at the delays I remember that I DO want them to have long lunch breaks where they get driven back to eat with their families.

I DO what new mums to get to leave at 3pm everyday for a year after they return from maternity leave. I DO want them to be paid fair wages and enjoy coming to a light and friendly workplace with Ariana Grande blasting from the radio… I mean, whatever floats your boat.

We often joke that we could have a Netflix show since every production run is like a cliffhanger from your favourite telenovela. Who’s off sick this week? Did Marta have her baby? Why did Jorge slam the phone down on our supplier? And will the shipments be booked in before our manager has to pick up her daughter from school?

My definition of ‘cool’ may not comply with the usual standards but it will certainly comply with all health & safety regulations!

With Joel, Veronique and Alice we visited all of our factory teams last week.

Trips to our factories in Porto, as glamorous as they sound, mean driving buttons & fabrics around the Portuguese motorways (they really need to learn how to indicate and I really need to learn how to drive in the right lane...) and visiting every little factory we use!

Here are some pictures from behind the scenes …

X Alina