Mount Martha brothers Joel and Zac Perna are making waves in the global pyjama industry and competing with Aussie giants with their emerging company Slouch Potato. Starting with zero experience and the dream of providing everyone with unique, fun and comfortable clothing, Joel and Zac launched Slouch Potato during the Covid lockdown.
“Growing up, we both always wore pyjamas and looked forward to the feeling of comfort at the end of the day,” Joel said. “The fun patterns are our way of expressing our own weirdness and unique personalities through our designs.”
Starting with no external financing and only an idea, the brothers started from absolute scratch to make their dream a reality. Zac, 27, continued his work as a social media presence in the fitness industry and Joel, 28, shut down his carpentry business in the pursuit of making Slouch Potato a success. What’s fascinating about this scenario is not the idea itself but the fact that both Joel and Zac had no experience in the clothing industry and were left to build the business from the ground up in what they said was the “steepest learning curve” they’d ever encountered. They began sourcing the highest quality fabrics from Tencel and Modal and high-end fashion makers from Melbourne to bring their idea to life over a tough but exciting 16-month period. The result was ethically made loungewear that’s softer than silk and cooler than linen in their signature style.
They began with pyjama pants in four designs that represented their favourite childhood snacks: popcorn, cookies, cereal, and ice-cream. After more than a year of anticipation, fear, excitement and turmoil, they launched their range on October 6, 2021, and sold out on their first day, selling almost six figures worth of their premium loungewear.
Slouch Potato is now up to its fifth range drop after selling out of every design previously made. The designs are all limited and consistently resemble the iconic and fun ‘slouch’ style and cute characters. The brand has garnered a reach in the millions on social media, and on top of the brothers’ efforts to “win the Aussie market”, they have also tapped into a global market, distributing their loungewear all over the world.
If you haven’t tried Slouch Potato yet, you definitely need to see what the hype is all about.
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