Getting to know Leisurely; the new sustainable brand for luxury bedding that comes in a range of five dreamy colours, all made with 100% tencel - a fibre made from sustainably harvested Eucalyptus trees.

Leisurely’s mission;

The softest sheets + slow down consumption + sustainable production + protect the planet

We caught up with Sophie, the founder of Leisurely, to dive a little deeper inside of the beautiful brand, find out what they stand for & how she recommends slowing down in 2023.

What was the dream behind ‘Leisurely’ & where did the inspiration come from?

It all started when I was working in fashion production, working for a brilliant company that used all these beautiful sustainable fabrics and processes. While the clothes were beautiful I felt I wanted to do something that gave as much care to the end customer as it did to the way the clothes were made, gifting them something they would cherish for a lifetime. At the time it felt like myself and everyone around me was burnt out, sick of being busy all the time, and just craving some rest. It just clicked that maybe I could use those sustainable fabrics and processes to give the people around me what they needed the most – a good night’s sleep!

Tell us about the journey of building Leisurely?

Being from a production background I think my journey was a bit back-to-front! Within a couple of months I had connected with the factory, selected the most beautifully soft Tencel fabrics, and started pulling together the design aesthetic. It all flowed into place like clockwork. The challenges started after that; being a newbie to any kind of marketing and also an introvert! I’ve definitely had to push through the discomfort and get used to a bit of self-promotion to get the word out about our sheets. There was also the huge question mark over how to fund the business as I’m self-funded. I knew it would take some investment in stock before getting started and so looked into practically every option out there, eventually deciding on crowdfunding.

You started your brand through kickstarter funding & you received 100% funding in less than 3 weeks which is incredible! How has this benefitted you?

Running a crowdfunding campaign was hugely rewarding - before starting I must admit it felt very daunting! But then finding a community who engaged with the message of Leisurely, who were also looking to slow down, and call for a kinder and more sustainable way of doing business was extremely gratifying. So many lovely conversations came out of the campaign, and as a solo founder it was amazing to find so many new connections out of something I’d been working on in isolation up until that point. Going forward, it feels like I’ve got a team of co-founders in the Kickstarter backers who were right beside me in bringing it all to life!

All your sheets are made with 100% tencel fibre. We would love to learn more about the material and your reason behind choosing it….

Tencel is a fibre made from eucalyptus pulp, produced by a really inspiring company called Lenzing based in Austria. I had worked with Tencel quite a lot in clothing but noticed it wasn’t used much for bedding. This surprised me because it’s so well suited! It’s super soft, antibacterial so stays fresh for longer, temperature regulating, hypoallergenic, and really gentle to sensitive skin. It also hangs beautifully so doesn’t even need ironing! Even better for us, they have a really transparent and reliable supply chain so I can be sure that our Tencel fibres are produced responsibly and to the high standard I aspire to for Leisurely bedding.

We really admire your sustainability approach and love the ethos behind Leisurely. What ways are working sustainably and do you have any hopes for the future?

There are two key factors in my approach to sustainability. Firstly, it’s about continuous improvement. Acknowledging that where we are now is just a starting point and that there will always be more ways to reduce our environmental impact as the business and the industry develop. For now, that means working with 100% Tencel which is low impact, biodegradable, and easily recyclable at end of use; as well as working with one single factory, Lameirinho, who are low-waste, renewably powered, and lead with sustainable textiles innovation. Secondly, it’s having a holistic perspective, not just focusing on the nitty gritty of sustainable materials and processes, but also thinking more widely about the implications of the brand and our sheets on our customers and society as a whole. It’s really important to me not just to make something well, but to make sure it brings lasting wellbeing and joy to the person using it, as well as acting as an alternative to the pushy, fast-fashion type of marketing we can be overwhelmed with at times. There are constant challenges for instance, how to remove the need for poly-bags to protect the sheets in shipping, but I think the key is to be totally honest with ourselves about the limits to be able to overcome them.    

& lastly, share your wisdom. What does being’ Leisurely’ look like to you and do you have any tips on taking time to rest for yourself in 2023?  

Oooh it changes all the time, and with the seasons! I’m currently in full hibernation mode; lots of cosy early nights, eating healthy warming food, and getting outside in the little daylight we have. In the summer it was all about making time to reconnect with friends and family after I’d spent a busy Spring focusing on the Kickstarter campaign! Those relationships are everything.

I think the strongest lesson I’ve learnt is that when I feel completely overwhelmed, like I’ve got way too much to do and need to cram to get everything done, that’s when I need to stop. It feels completely counter-intuitive but I’ve learnt that those are the moments when I most need to pause and be less hard on myself. I always return to the to-do list with a sense of spaciousness and calm that’s much more productive than panicking.

Sophie has created beautiful soft bedding that will last (and make going to bed exciting), whilst also creating a brand with purpose that holds sustainability & future environmental impact at the heart of it all. Quite simply, we can’t get enough!

Explore Leisurely’s heavenly sheets here & stay connected here.

Website: https://www.getleisurely.com / Instagram: @getleisurely

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