Ashley Merrill, the founder of sleepwear brand Lunya, wants to improve her customer’s quality of sleep.
She’s attempting to do this with Meneya, a proprietary fabric that’s made from Pima cotton, Lycra and Celliant, a technical fiber that uses infrared energy to stimulate cell performance and increase circulation.
“We’ve been talking with Celliant for a long time and trying to figure out how do we adapt this technology for the sleepwear space,” Merrill said. “Most people blend this technology with synthetics, but we wanted to bring it to natural fabrics.”
According to Merrill, Celliant fibers include crushed up active minerals that take the body’s excess energy and convert it into infrared light that reflects back on the body and increases circulation and helps with temperature regulation and sleep patterns.
“I feel more refreshed after wearing it, but it’s not earth changing in the same way that Coolmax doesn’t make you feel like a new human,” Merrill said.
The Meneya fabric will be used in a capsule collection that includes a muscle T-shirt and matching shorts, which both retail for $62.
Merrill, who launched parenting site Momtastic before starting Lunya in 2014, found herself wearing her husband’s oversize pajamas to bed and noticed a gap in the market for contemporary and comfortable sleepwear.
“There wasn’t much that was functional and really attractive,” Merrill said. “You also have a lot more people spending time at home and there’s a huge portion of the population that want to feel more comfortable and put together at home.”
The line is sold exclusively online and Merrill has no plans on pursuing wholesale distribution through department stores or specialty boutiques, but she is starting to sell the collection in hotels.
“We wanted to meet that woman in the place where she is relaxing and feeling rejuvenated,” Merrill said.