Resting up, eating well, contemplating life, and reviving the lost art of downtime: that’s Otium.
At Lunya, we’re recommitting ourselves to appreciating the meaningful moments of leisure outside of the daily grind.
From having inspiring conversations with creatives, to sharing what simple pleasures mean to us, Lunya is putting Otium at the center of a full life… and our brand. Today, we’re expanding the conversation well beyond sleepwear by being your source of inspiration for your leisure time. Here, our founder and CEO, Ashley Merrill, explains what that means for the future of Lunya and Lahgo.
The vision for Lunya was formed one night when I walked by my bedroom mirror and marveled at my hilarious outfit – I was wearing my husband’s old frat t-shirt and his rolled up boxer briefs. Clearly this time of day had become an afterthought, despite it being the time that I looked most forward to. This realization sent me on a journey to find comfortable, quality and flattering sleepwear that was in line with who I wanted to be and how I wanted to feel in these leisure hours. The search led me to old traditional pajamas, negligees and cheap childlike sets - none of which reflected the modern woman I self identified as. This personal experience became the foundation for Lunya and Lahgo.
I’ve been on the Lunya and Lahgo journey for roughly 6 years now. During this time my husband and I have raised two children and somehow managed to stay married. Ironically my passion for sleep and recovery is reaffirmed by how little of it I get. You never know what a vital lifeline a good night of sleep can be until you go without it for a while! I have been driving myself towards the invisible peak of “making it” personally and professionally for as long as I can remember, and on this wild ride I've been able to connect with many who share this same juggling act.
In the last year I started looking at my family, friends and within the Lunya and Lahgo community at the breakneck pace at which we all live and started asking questions. I am not discounting the hustle - believe me I’m an achiever who values hard work and dedication in myself and in others… but I realized that when technology removed all boundaries between our professional and personal lives we unknowingly handed over the keys to our leisure time. At what point do we stop grinding towards a future and start living in today? What is the true cost of the pursuit of having it all? Who is even setting these expectations?!
Recently I read a study that described how the neural pathways in our brains are like well worn grooves on a snow covered hill, eventually, no matter where you start on the hill you end up in a habit formed groove ... unless you choose not to. This led me to an ‘ah-ha’ moment - a new moment in the mirror, if you will. The subtext of my entire life had become about productivity. Shortly after realizing this I began experimenting with Otium, a tellingly disused Latin term, for the time we withdraw from our daily business to enjoy leisure time (i.e. eating, playing, resting, reading, writing, contemplation, and connecting with others). Making space for this leisure time and looking at it as valuable (vs unproductive) has enabled me to connect what I do, with why I do it.
I realized that Otium is and always has been at the unarticulated core of what Lunya and Lahgo represent. Moving forward we will dive deeper, bringing you back to the simple pleasures of life at home: from the experiences we offer, to the content we create, to the clothes we make. My hope is that we can be more than your beloved sleepwear destination, but a place that inspires you to be Good in Bed and beyond.
Ashley Merrill,
Founder + CEO, Lunya and Lahgo
