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Fashion

SAY HELLO TO THE DREAMIEST SLEEPWEAR

Nothing quite beats fresh lightweight cotton when it comes to nighttime attire. Here to make your sleepwear dreams come true is none other than actress and activist Robin Wright, of House Of Cards fame, and designer Karen Fowler co-founders of Pour Les Femmes. Communicating a fresh and responsible idea of luxury nightwear, with slow, ethically produced, organic cottons that are a hit with the L.A. set including Laura Dern, Emma Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Aniston. Staying in your pyjamas all day long has never been so tempting…

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Robin Wright and Karen Fowler, co-founders of Pour Les Femmes.

How did you meet and get started?

Karen begins “Robin and I have been friends for over 25 years. One day we were talking about what the perfect pyjama represented to us and realised we couldn’t find it.” Robin continues “We felt confident we could create a beautiful product that was not only produced ethically, but also highlighted and gave back to causes we cared about.”

The women I met needed a voice and a way to gain financial independence. We wanted to use our platform to tell their stories and to set up work programs that directly gave back to the region.

Robin Wright

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Congolese women in the Give Work program hand-making garments for Pour Les Femmes.

What is Pour Les Femme’s connection to the Congo?

Robin explains that Pour Les Femme’s mission in the Congo is two-fold. Firstly they are working with civil society group Action Kivu, “a U.S. non-profit that partners with Congolese organisations providing direct assistance and entrepreneurial training.” Not just that, Robin and Karen are also partnered with Give Work, located in Goma. Robin adds “this initiative creates job opportunities to support artisans and to help them break the cycle of poverty. The workshop has 200 talented embroiderers and tailors, and each year we collaborate with them to design a portion of our collection.”

How long does it usually take you to make one item of clothing?

“It takes two days work to hand cut and sew our Made in Congo capsule pyjama set.” Robin elaborates “The other items in our collection are produced in slow fashion ateliers in Karachi, Pakistan, and Los Angeles, where the focus is on quality over quantity.”

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The French Rivera circa 1960, one of the main inspirations for their summer collection.

Can you describe where your creative concepts begin?

Karen lets us in on the secret to their inspiration “Robin and I love flicking through vintage books and photographs from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and then creating a modern twist from what we find.” In reference to this season she adds “a big inspiration came from old beach clubs in Southern Italy and the South of France.” When talking about other designers she admires Karen mentions “Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein from the 1980s and 1990s.”

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Lounge-worthy long cotton nightgown.

Have you ever been to Ireland?

Karen starts “the first time I visited Ireland was with Robin. We worked on a movie together called Moll Flanders shot in Dalkey.” Robin maintains her highlight was “driving through the beautiful countryside to Cork,” adding “the people were so sweet – I love your country!”

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Normal People, Robin Wright’s favourite series of lockdown with scenes set in Robin’s beloved Italy and Ireland.

How are you spending your down-time?

Like most of us under lockdown Robin has been watching Normal People and has also taken the time to sharpen up her French. While Karen has been “reading The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu and watching documentaries on photographer Slim Aarons for inspiration.”

Shop this socially conscious sleepwear brand favourited by the stars below.

SHOP POUR LES FEMMES

SLEEP SOUNDLY IN POUR LES FEMMES

Brand photo by Pour Les Femmes

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