About Us
About
Founded by Barbara McMillan in June 2019, HONNA is a sleepwear brand that focuses on the ethical production of timeless styles that are not limited to any one season.
As a former stylist of ten years, Barbara was completely in tune to shape and quality. Though she loved the feel of luxury pyjamas, she couldn’t find a classic striped set that walked the line between exceptional fit and an affordable price point, so she decided to make one. Named after her daughter and the area in which she was living at the time, HONNA was launched.
The idea for the brand was developed in London, but it’s now run from her cottage in Hampshire following a relocation for a slower, quieter lifestyle. The calming effect of the countryside, the surrounding nature and an appreciation for a simpler way of living are a constant source of inspiration for HONNA.
Our Product
We began with a striped collection, featuring classic pyjamas in simple one colour designs. The cut and fit of every piece is carefully considered to create an oversized but flattering pyjama that looks chic but, ultimately, is as comfortable as possible to sleep in. The shirts have a boxy fit, to allow for unrestricted movement in bed, and the trousers have a flat tie-waist.
Our ultra-lightweight Indian cotton is chosen specifically for maximum comfort and breathability, allowing them to be worn all year round. Each set is finished with Indian Mother Of Pearl buttons and white piping.
The fabric is woven, then printed using azo-free dyes with our bespoke stripes, before being handmade into pyjamas, nightshirts and short sets.
Our Aim
Our intention is to consciously create truly comfortable nightwear to promote a good night’s sleep and a moment of relaxation at the end of the day. It’s about the pure joy of putting on a good pair of pyjamas, which signals switching off.
As a small but growing business, we constantly listen and respond to the feedback and needs of our customers, as well as constantly researching best practice. It’s an ongoing process of refining our pieces and making the necessary changes to ensure we are as ethical as we can be.
We carefully select our retail partners, ensuring we work only with responsible retailers who share our vision for sustainability and understand that our aim is not to produce something new every month, but instead focus on beautiful, well-made pieces that live beyond one season. Currently we’ve teamed up with Selfridges, and also The Sleep Code, an American mother-daughter duo who focuses on sleep as self-care.
Our Values
Sustainability is at the forefront of every decision we make, and we are constantly researching and making changes to reduce our emissions, minimise waste, and encourage the reeducation of expectations for the cost and lifespan of consciously-made products.
We reduce our packaging wherever possible. All our packaging is recyclable and, where possible, made from recycled materials. Each item is wrapped in recycled tissue paper, sealed with a compostable or recyclable sticker, which is made from recycled materials and printed with vegan inks, then packed in a compostable or recyclable Kraft mailer.
In order to cut plastic from production and make use of fabric off-cuts, we started packing the sleepwear in matching cotton bags to protect it during shipping. This is not something we have chosen to do as an additional offering for each purchase, but entirely in place of a protective polybag to reduce our plastic output. As one would expect, sometimes these get damaged – marked, pulled or torn – en route to us, in which case they won’t be sent on with an order. (If you particularly want one, let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate this.)
Our styles are timeless so, rather than small batch orders or pre-orders, we meticulously plan stock replenishment in advance and aim to keep our amount of stock reorders to a minimum to cut down on the emissions involved in the transportation of our sleepwear. This also means we have no deadstock, as does our Perfectly Imperfect initiative which we’re launching in autumn 2021.
We also don’t sell or replace pieces individually (e.g. shorts or trousers without the shirt) as it would mean a lot of stock that can not be used as sets.
We only work with non-synthetic, entirely natural fabrics which won’t contribute to landfill, but this also means they need to be cared for. Unlike man-made materials, they’ll soften, crease and fade, making them more comfortable for sleeping in.
As we work to establish a more environmentally friendly production process, our plan for 2021 is to introduce the perfect GOTS certified organic cotton, continuing to produce pieces that are not limited to one season, in keeping with the core values of our brand.
Our Warehouse
All our orders are sent from our UK-based, solar-powered fulfilment centre. After outgrowing our Hampshire cottage, we spent a lot of time finding the perfect partner and the wonderful team at the warehouse in Devon share our focus on sustainability.