After about a year in development, Brooklinen is announcing its latest category expansion: loungewear.
The move will help the brand diversify its revenue streams and continue growth after five years in business. Since launching in 2014, Brooklinen has brought in over $100 million in revenue. It received its first round of funding in 2017 for $10 million.
On Thursday, the brand debuted a nine-item collection — five for women and four for men. It includes a tee, a tank, shorts and joggers for men and women, as well as a longer bedtime tee for women, all produced in the United States. Prices range from $28 to $75. The brand plans to roll out additional items in August and more around the holidays.
“We had this intuition, a feeling like the market needed this. The same way we did when we launched the bedding company,” said Rich Fulop, founder and CEO of Brooklinen. “Our category has really changed. It’s not bedding or bathrobes, but comfort and comfort in your home. It’s really 360 degrees the way we think about it.”
Plus, customers were asking for a loungewear. Every quarter, the brand emails surveys to different customer segments, including oldest customers, newest customers and valued customers, and many requested loungewear styles.
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Brooklinen follows in the footsteps of many direct-to-consumer brands that have expanded beyond their initial product category into new ones. Away expanded from suitcases to backpacks and bags, and has its eyes set on expanding into apparel. In January, bedding and home brand Parachute expanded into mattresses and robes. It’s a common move that specialized DTC brands make after a few years in business to add new revenue streams and acquire new customers.
“These brands are launching new products because they have to keep making money. Brands selling a lot of these products, they are one-time purchases. They have to expand product to expand revenue, because they likely won’t sell you more than one or two things,” said Richie Siegel, founder of Loose Threads.
To promote the collection, Brooklinen isn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, Fulop said. The brand plans to focus on its traditional marketing channels, including social media and email.
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“We really lean on our customer base, which at this point, is quite sizable. And along with looking to them for feedback, we give them them early access and then we use our traditional marketing channels,” Fulop said.
