Startup Story #48: Catnap – Custom Designed Sleepwear

July 10, 2017

Wearing comfortable clothing as sleep wear is essential as it helps to improve the quality and duration of your sleep. Some people choose to get the Best Quality silk Pajamas they can to assist with this, but there are other options on the market. Catnap, a city-based customised sleepwear brand is the go-to place for nightwear that is comfortable as well as fashionable for both children and adults. “This is a very niche market and for me it started off after I had worked in other stores. I make night suits for six-month old babies, adults and now even pets. The prints are very happy and the children love it,” says Sabrina Omer, founder of Catnap. Whilst many still want to visit kigurumi.co for sleepwear, these options are a lovely choice.

Sabrina Omer, founder of Catnap

Omer holds a degree in fashion design which led her to work in the industry where she learnt a lot about sales and design. She later got bit by the entrepreneurial bug and ventured into this space. “I’ve always wanted to start something of my own. When I started this, I knew that I would have to focus on social media. Putting up images and being active on Facebook and Instagram are very important for my business. I always ensure that my products are packaged nicely. There are elements like ribbons, butter paper and personalised notes in the customised bags. When someone receives their Catnap products, they should feel very good about it!”

Apart from sleep wear, the 22-year-old entrepreneur has also started a range of customised cushions, quilts, eye masks, bedroom slippers along with bed and bath linen. Setting this up came with its challenges.

“I worked for about three years in sales. I learnt how to communicate to sell your product. That has been a major challenge. Aside from that, sourcing the fabric and curating the prints properly is very important. The prints have to be very colourful to build the brand. The name is very catchy so there is brand recall.”

While working, Omer stresses on the importance of client interaction, “I don’t have a website and I don’t want to start one at all. The moment I get a text from a client telling me about what they want, it becomes a very personal thing. If my clients are in Pune, I go to their homes to do the trials and delivery. I also take part in a lot of exhibitions.

Here, I can really build on my clientele even though it is expensive to set up. With advertisements on social media, you never really know if it’ll work. I’ve done some work with a lot of fashion bloggers in Pune and that helps too. But the main thing is definitely word of mouth!”

To add to her learnings, Omer now understands the importance of feedback from clients. “The client is always right. You have to give them what they want without feeling bad about criticism or negative feedback.” For the future of Catnap, she sees the brand having a storefront, “I want to get to designing my own prints so that I can control the quality. It is something I’m still thinking about because at the same time I’m also starting new products like pillow cases and cushions. A storefront would be ideal but I still have a long way ahead.”