Undercover with 'Dream With Me' Founder, Sammie Russell
We're very excited to have Sammie and her beautiful brand Dream With Me be the first of many new brands joining our Souszy collection.
Since we first came across the Dream With Me range we have been in love with the unique designs, bright colours and soft fabrics. Sammie shares with us how her deep love of sleepwear led to the creation of Dream With Me, and provides us with an insight into the inspiration behind her latest collections and dream shoot in Santorini, Greece.
Could you please share a little bit about yourself
My name is Sammie Russell, I am the founder of Dream With Me, a Melbourne based luxury sleepwear label. I was born in Melbourne and have lived here my whole life. I have always had a passion for fashion and grew up with a deep love of sleepwear.
What led you to starting your brand ‘Dream With Me’?
From the time I was little I had always loved picking out my pyjamas. As I grew older I found it increasingly difficult to find sleepwear that was both comfortable and beautiful. The only options out there were really basic pieces or heavily printed, almost kitsch designs. I was mature enough to not want to sleep in Disney printed nighties but I also wanted something that was special.
The frustration of not being able to find anything I myself would like to sleep in sparked the idea of creating my own designs. I saw a gap in the market and set out to create a line of sleepwear that brought fun, comfort and style to getting undressed. Pairing timeless styles with unique hand drawn prints enabled me to create a brand that caters to the modern woman’s needs, allowing her to feel confident and beautiful whether she is taking her sleepwear on vacation, answering the door to the postman or even getting through those unannounced drop ins from the in-laws! With an emphasis on creating pieces that could be treasured we package our sleepwear in beautiful custom boxes making our garments the perfect gift for yourself, or someone special.
Your latest shoot was in the Greek Islands and it looks amazing! Could you tell us a bit more about this shoot: Where did it take place? Who modelled for you / who was the photographer? Why did you choose this exotic location to shoot the collection?
Shooting our campaign in Santorini, Greece was a dream come true. We truly got to work with the ‘dream team’ shooting with the incredible Amberly Valentine and working with the gorgeous Ksenia Islamova who modelled our pieces. We wanted to create a magical campaign and the beautiful pink colours of Santorini complimented the colour palette of the range beautifully. We wanted to think outside the box for the photo-shoot and inspire our customers to dream so we created a bedroom on a rooftop and floated feathers over belle towers, it was just magic!
What have been your best sellers in the last month?
In this last month our sleep shorts and bamboo singlets have been our best sellers. They are perfect for transeasonal pyjama dressing as bamboo is naturally heat regulating, meaning it keeps you warm in winter and cool in summer. Our shorts are popular at this time of year as you have the option to pair them with the singlet, or put on a warmer tee.
With summer around the corner, what are your 3 summer essentials for a day at the beach?
Our bralette and brief can double as swimwear so they are definitely a summer essential! Also paramount for the Australian sun is a good high SPF sunscreen (there is nothing worse than getting into bed with sunburn) and a good pair of sunglasses! You can really have fun complimenting your swimsuit with a great pair of sunnies.
