This week’s newsletter highlights the Instagram-friendly, celebrity-endorsed trend of festive family PJs dominating the high street.
Many families uphold annual Christmas traditions, whether it’s sipping buck’s fizz in the morning, engaging in a post-lunch game of Scrabble, or partaking in the customary heated political debate. A new addition to the festive repertoire, however, is the trend of family pyjamas. From grandparents to grandchildren and even furry companions, everyone is donning matching nightwear to capture the quintessential family photo for social media.
While originating in the US, the concept of coordinated pyjama ensembles has gained significant traction in the UK. Major retailers like M&S, John Lewis, Next, and Primark now offer family pyjama sets, some even including matching jackets and bandanas for the family dog.
M&S, among the early adopters in the UK, introduced its first matching family sets in 2017, and according to Sarah Ayling, the head of lingerie and sleepwear buying, they became an instant hit. This Christmas, M&S presents six different designs, ranging from traditional tartan prints to tropical jungle foliage, with the “disco Santa” motif emerging as the most popular, having sold over 500,000 sets.
Gap reports a 40% increase in sales, with red- and green-check flannel sets as top sellers. Cyberjammies, an online nightwear shop, describes this year’s sales as “phenomenal,” particularly for its cotton Whistler collection, featuring skiers and fir trees, which consistently sells out since its September launch. Some of Primark’s Grinch-themed sets are even fetching double the retail price on eBay.
Instead of tiger parents enforcing wardrobe choices, the trend is propelled by the influence of Generation Alpha and Generation Z. On TikTok, the hashtag #ChristmasPyjamas has garnered almost 70 million views, as tweens and teens coerce older family members into donning matching sets and participating in activities like lip-syncing to Christmas songs or strutting around the kitchen.
Dr. Sandra Wheatley, a clinical psychologist, notes, “We like to identify with the people we love. As a family, you are one unit, but it doesn’t always feel that way. Wearing matching pyjamas is akin to putting on a family uniform. It connects everyone.” Additionally, she suggests that it can “level the playing field” for “blended” families, signifying equality.
The coordinated pyjama trend traces its roots back to 1950s America when shopping catalogues depicted nuclear families in “mini-me” matching sleepwear. In contemporary times, celebrities have played a pivotal role in popularizing the trend. The Kardashian-Jenners prefer plaid styles, Diana Ross and her family opt for candy-cane stripes, and the Beckhams reportedly don annual embossed silky sets from Olivia von Halle, a luxury London-based pyjama-maker with prices starting from £320.
For those hesitant about fully embracing matching pyjamas, there’s an alternative suggested by Tom Pyne of the UK pyjama and loungewear brand Chelsea Peers: consider nightwear in similar colors. According to Pyne, it adds a touch of coolness and versatility, allowing customers to wear them not just for one day but throughout the year.
