Tom Pyne and his wife Lara established sleepwear brand Chelsea Peers in 2012 having spotted a gap in the market for well-designed, high quality sleep and loungewear at accessible prices. Since then the brand, known for its bold and playful prints, has been picked up by some of the biggest retailers in the UK and further afield including Fenwick, John Lewis, Galeries Lafayette, Brown Thomas, M&S and Next.
As well as accessibility on pricing (pyjama sets are priced at around £45-£59), size inclusivity with designs available from from 6 to 18. The brand is also B Corp certified and employs sustainable materials in its designs, such as Tencel and Modal, and works hard to eliminate toxins from the manufacturing process.
After the huge success of womenswear and kidswear, Chelsea Peers has just ventured into menswear bringing the same aesthetic to the market with design motifs including cars, dogs and teddy bears, as well as more classic stripes and plain designs.
The brand has just dropped its latest collection for women, called Enchanted Dreams featuring mystical tigers and dragonflies. designed to bring a “touch of wonder” to evening routines.
Chelsea Peers Enchanted Dreams
Pyne speaks to TheIndustry.fashion about the opportunity he saw, how the brand has been built and evolved and the ambitions for the future.
You started your career in fashion, but what was it that sparked the idea to focus on sleepwear in particular?
I’ve always loved fashion, but I was particularly drawn to the idea of creating something that combined both style and comfort. Sleepwear felt like such an overlooked category – it’s what we all spend so much time in, yet it wasn’t always given the same level of design attention as daywear. I wanted to bring a sense of fun, personality and quality to pieces people wear at home, so they could feel just as good in their downtime as they do when they go out. That balance of comfort and self-expression is what really sparked the focus on sleepwear for me.
Tell us about the vision you had at the outset and how has that vision evolved in the past 12-13 years?
From the very start, we’ve always been commercially driven, with a clear focus on building a responsibly minded and successful business. Over time, that vision has evolved, while commerciality remains at the core, we’ve placed more emphasis on brand, storytelling, and creating a stronger connection between our products and the people who buy them. It’s about balancing the commercial side with building something meaningful and long-lasting.
Setting up a business is challenging, what were the key lessons you learned from the early days?
Respect and support are everything. Suppliers are such an important part of building a business, without them, you don’t have a product. While we’ve always been very customer-focused, I’ve learned that all stakeholders need to be nurtured and respected. Building solid systems and foundations early on has also been key, and I’ve come to see mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.
Your retailer network is so impressive, how did you go about securing so many prestigious names?
One of our first major retailers was ASOS, over 12 years ago. Since then, we’ve taken a strategic approach to building our network, ensuring a considered balance of online and bricks-and-mortar partners. This now includes department stores such as Fenwick, John Lewis, Galeries Lafayette and Brown Thomas, as well as major British retailers like M&S and Next. These relationships have been secured through a combination of consistent product excellence, strong sell-through results, and a reputation for delivering seasonal collections that excite customers and drive sales year after year.
Chelsea Peers Men features playful design motifs
You’ve self-funded this venture, which is unusual for a company of your size, why was that important to you?
From a young age I’ve always been entrepreneurial, and that mindset remains at the heart of the business today. Self-funding has allowed us to stay true to our vision, maintain full control, and empower the team to make quick decisions without being weighed down by unnecessary reporting or external pressures. It’s given us the freedom to grow in a way that feels right for us.
Can you please tell us a bit about the creative process? Where does the inspiration come from for the designs and how often do you introduce newness into the range?
At Chelsea Peers, our creative inspiration each season comes from a variety of sources. We draw from global trends in fashion, art, and culture, but also from the everyday moments that bring comfort and joy. Nature, travel, and the changing seasons themselves play a huge role in shaping our colour palettes and prints. Our design team also takes inspiration from our customers – listening to their feedback and watching how they live in and love our products. This connection fuels our creativity and allows us to design collections that feel fresh and exciting while staying true to the level of comfort and quality design we are known for.
We launch three key collections each season, alongside important gifting moments such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Across these launches, we’re always looking for ways to bring fresh ideas – whether that’s through introducing new fabrics that are kinder to the planet, adding trend-led styles, expanding into new product lines like swimwear and home, or experimenting with new production techniques such as embroidery and screen printing. We’re also continuing to grow our collaborations with brand partners, with some really exciting projects in the pipeline for 2026!
The price points do look reasonable for such an elevated product, why was it important to keep that accessibility?
Our community has always been incredibly important to us. We want every customer to feel welcome, represented, and able to enjoy our products. That’s why we focus on delivering high-quality, elevated designs at price points that feel fair and inclusive. Offering sizes 6-28 is also central to this mission, as we believe style, comfort and confidence should be available to everyone. For us, accessibility isn’t about compromise – it’s about combining thoughtful design, quality materials, and inclusive sizing so that our community feels genuinely seen and celebrated.
Waffle jersey designs for men
You have just moved into men’s sleepwear. What is the opportunity you see in that market?
We’ve seen a growing demand for men’s sleepwear that blends comfort with considered design – pieces that feel as good to wear as they look. The market is still largely underserved when it comes to premium, fashion-led options, especially during the gifting season. By bringing our signature quality, seasonal creativity and elevated detailing to menswear, we can offer customers a new go-to destination for sleepwear that feels special, whether it’s for themselves or as a gift.
You’ve gone for bold and playful designs, did you find that men wanted that full Chelsea Peers vibe along with the women?
Absolutely – our bold, playful prints have been really well received by men as well as women. There’s definitely an appetite for fun, expressive designs that bring a bit of personality into everyday downtime, and we’ve found men are just as keen to embrace that as our female customers. At the same time, we know versatility is important, so we balance our collections with more classic plains, stripes, and checks. That way there’s something to suit every mood and style preference, whether someone wants a fun, playful vibe or something a little more understated.
Popular Tencel designs
What are your ambitions for the brand moving forward in terms of extending the range and the business in general?
We’re now looking at opportunities in both the US and EU. The US is particularly exciting, with some brands pulling back, we see real potential to step in and make an impact. On the product side, our launches in swimwear and loungewear this year have been very successful, and we’re planning to build on that momentum as we look ahead to SS26.
You could have had a nice career in fashion with your talents but you took the risk to set up your own venture, are you glad you took that route and would you advise others to do the same?
Yes, absolutely! Don’t get me wrong, running your own business definitely comes with its challenges and stresses, but it’s also one of the most rewarding journeys you can take. From our very first order with ASOS – which I was managing from my bedroom – to where we are today with a team of over 40, partnerships with some of the biggest names in retail, a fast-growing ecommerce platform, and expansion into multiple markets, it’s been both exciting and humbling to see how far we’ve come. I’d absolutely encourage others to take the leap if they feel passionate about their idea; the highs and lows are all part of the journey, but the sense of building something meaningful makes it more than worth it.