Bathrobes. Housecoats. Dressing gowns. For years, it seemed this sleepwear staple had more names than designs, with most men’s robes being pale blue or occasionally navy, and cut from the same poplin cotton as workaday shirts. But now both established labels and loungewear start-ups are rolling out richer patterns, prints and textures, specifically for men – and they are responding.
Desmond & Dempsey cotton Sansindo robes, £135 each
Pulling off the renaissance nude was a big win
Joel Jeffery, co-founder Desmond & Dempsey
“We’d always been secretly disappointed to see our plain and striped designs outperform the more zhuzhed-up ones,” says Molly Goddard, co-founder of Brixton-based nightwear brand Desmond & Dempsey. In the past year, however, the brand’s men’s robe sales have grown by 47 per cent – with printed and patterned designs now making up 84 per cent of the category. “It’s a relief to see colours and prints come into the mix,” says Goddard.
