Brooklinen launches new brand, Marlow

Dive Brief:

In a bid for expansion, DTC bedding company Brooklinen on Tuesday debuted Marlow, a new brand that sells "one expertly designed pillow."
Priced at $65 for a standard pillow and $85 for a king pillow, the company said it will sell the Marlow pillow online via MarlowPillow.com for now, and via Brooklinen's website, Amazon and Brooklinen's physical stores at a later date, according to a press release. The company will donate 1% of sales to charity, starting with the Sadie Nash Leadership Project that works with young women and youth of color.
The pillow features a zipper detail that can adjust its firmness, cooling memory foam, a cotton shell and mesh fabric. The brand was launched on "years of data and customer feedback" around finding the perfect pillow, including conversations with thousands of customers.

Dive Insight:

Brooklinen, which became well known for its sheets, already offers pillows and pillowcases on its website. However, the DTC brand is deepening its ties to that category with the launch of Marlow, a brand that focuses solely on pillows.

The company stands alongside others in the DTC home space in expanding its product assortment to adjacent categories, albeit with a slightly different strategy by creating an entirely new brand. In 2019, DTC mattress brand Purple debuted its Purple Plush Pillow, which also featured a zipper to adjust the pillow's firmness. In September, DTC bedding brand Parachute introduced bed frames to its product lineup and in January collaborated with Crate and Barrel to introduce a collection of sheets, throw pillows, blankets, and other bedding and bath items to the home retailer's stores.

"We are thrilled to help customers find their best rest with the launch of Marlow," Rich Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Brooklinen and the creator of Marlow, said in a statement. "Seven years ago we permanently transformed the home space when we introduced our sheets to the market through a direct-to-consumer offering, and we look forward to getting back to our roots and extending the same customer-focused brand DNA to the world of pillows."

Brooklinen's Marlow launch follows an investment from private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co. in June. Though it's not clear how much money the brand received, it said in a statement that the capital will go toward growing its retail and wholesale businesses.