Pandora Stormonth Darling has a thing for pyjamas. Her company PJ Pan started out when she was on a lunch break in London. On a hunt for some comfy nightwear, the 39-year-old went back to the office empty handed.
The more people Pandora spoke to about her disastrous shopping trip, the more the idea of creating her own brand. In 2007, while working in an events company, PJ Pan was born. Working one day a week on nightwear soon became two days and by 2008 it was full time.
“I always had a thing for pyjamas as a kid and then I went to boarding school where we spent a lot of our time in them,” said Pandora. Starting a business can be tricky, but luckily she was able to split her week between her new passion and earning an income.
The first days were spent sourcing her suppliers, so a trip to Paris was on the cards. There Pandora discovered a Turkish mill which made fabrics with pretty patterns, just what she had been looking for. Nowadays her fabrics are from British suppliers, and Pandora has moved to the clean air of Enochdhu, in the hills of Perthshire, where she runs the online business.
Customers come to PJ Pan from all over the world for her luxury nightwear, the pretty patterns and the long leg length. She stocks three leg lengths for each design, something which a lot of other shops and stockists don’t do. Her six foot six husband finds this a great advantage.
Looking at the ranges though, it’s the fabrics that really stand out. The material can last for five or six years at least, and the real shell buttons take pride of place over the usual plastic buttons found in many other brands.
“I try to pick designs that are interesting,” said Pandora.
“We also support a charity called Tusk Trust where we launched a range last winter of elephant pyjamas. A percentage from each sale went to the charity, and we are doing the same this year with a giraffe pattern.”
Ranges are released twice a year, with a selection of dressing gowns and men’s nightshirts on the horizon. What really stands out though is the prints and designs, from flowers to checks – mothers and daughters can match and everyone can have fantastic warm pyjamas for the family pictures on Christmas morning.
