Lynn Deregowski and Jenny Maxwell have heard it before -- that they laze around in fuzzy slippers, that their lives are a perpetual slumber party. Such are the occupational hazards when you run a hip sleepwear company called The Cat's Pajamas. Deregowski and Maxwell, both '94, are unlikely fashion moguls. After realizing that their dream jobs (Jenny at Bill Graham Presents and Lynn at Lucasfilm) weren't all that, they brainstormed ideas for a company. The breakthrough concept: high-end ($70 to $90), sophisticated pj's that are also kitschy and fun.
Now their creations -- printed with sushi, ladybugs and pin-up girls -- are in 150 stores, including Nordstrom and Anthropologie, and have been worn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad About You. Each tv appearance brings a flood of orders. "We were on Will and Grace last night, and all of a sudden Germany, Arkansas, Australia -- everyone needs yummy sushi pajamas," Deregowski says.
But the partners turned down a chance to be in the Victoria's Secret catalog. Ramping up production to that scale would have been a huge financial risk. They prefer to build the business slowly. "We started this because we wanted to sleep through the night," Deregowski says. "I sleep like a baby." Wearing the Cat's Pajamas, of course.
