Everyone knows a baby can wreak havoc on a new mom’s slumber, but Greenwich resident Katya Eckert had a rude awakening (or many!) when night sweats added to her exhaustion after she had her daughter in 2019. This sleep disruption is something menopausal women know well, but they aren’t the only ones battling drenched PJs.
“I had the most insane postpartum night sweats,” says Eckert. “I literally was ordering every single pair of pajamas on the market. My husband was like, ‘Our credit card bill is out of control. You should just start your own company at this point!’ ”
Eckert’s background was in finance not garments, but she had a hunch her husband was right. She saw a market opportunity and began “poking around,” which meant sourcing over 650 materials. She quickly ruled out the synthetic fibers of workout wear.
“They’re made out of polymers, which are plastics that can release PFAs into your skin and disrupt your endocrine system,” Eckert explains. “That’s one thing if you’re going to a workout class and not wearing them that long. But when you’re sleeping and your body is going through all this natural cell turnover, you want something that is also going to aid your sleep and help your skin do what it needs to do, while keeping you comfortable.”
The solution: Natural “cellulosic” fiber from plants: beechwood, birchwood, pine and eucalyptus. “Those plants are milled to a pulp, then the pulp is made into thread and the thread is made into fiber,” explains Eckert, “so all the properties of a tree, like drying quickly when it rains, are part of that fabric. It’s also naturally antibacterial, like a tree. It is moisture-wicking, breathable and quick-drying. The first time I slept in my samples, I woke up and cried tears of joy.”
It gave Eckert comfort that the A Domani line helped her mother as she battled breast cancer. “One of the largest growing customer segments I have is women going through cancer treatment,” says Eckert, “because of all of the sweating that happens with cancer diagnosis through chemotherapy and radiation, and all of the skin sensitivities that come up with it.”
In her market research, she found that some women like to sleep in dresses, others in tanks and shorts, some in short sleeves, some in long. “There aren’t a ton of sleepwear separates out there,” says Eckert. A Domani offers them: shorts, pants, short-sleeve and long-sleeve tops, tank tops, joggers, plus short-sleeve and tank dress options—in classy blue, black, peach and deep red.
“The feedback has been really fantastic on the fit and the designs. We tried to reimagine the sleeper silhouette,” she says. “Sleepwear hasn’t really changed since, I don’t know … the 1970s is the current uniform, right? We had the 1950s nightgown, the chemise, and then it went into these baggy pants and button-down collared shirt. A collared shirt is almost like wearing a scarf to bed. We wanted to design the details that would bring us comfort: all the waistbands are fold-over, so there’s no elastic that digs in. The shorts are not so short that you’re shy to walk around in front of the in-laws. The tank top seams go forward, so if you’re a side sleeper, they don’t dig in. And everything is designed for maximum airflow.”
A Domani has been featured on CBS Mornings and in Oprah Daily’s Menopause Awards. New styles, colors and a super-light fabric will be hitting the website about when this magazine lands on coffee tables. adomanisleep.com
A Domani sleepware is keeping women—from postpartum to perimenopausal—cool and comfy.
RAVE REVIEWS FROM GREENWICH FANS
“Unprecedented night sweats were not something I had on my postpartum bingo card. With A Domani, I said goodbye to night sweats overnight! There is truly nothing else out there that’s moisture wicking, comfortable, cute and easy to move in.”
— Kerry McCarthy
Nurse Anesthetist and mom of three
“I gifted a pair to each of my sisters and daughters. We are all ‘hot sleepers’ and are constantly on the hunt for cool comfort. A Domani is now the official BFF of hot sleepers! As a bonus, you can be cool and chic wearing the pieces around the house, to run errands and as travel wear.”
—Verna Esposito
Director of Little Friends Early Childhood Care and Education
“A Domani pajamas keep me cool and help normalize my warm body temp to ensure a good and comfortable night’s sleep. I’ve washed the dress over 100 times, and it feels exactly the same as when I got it over three years ago. Invest in your rest, trust me.”
—Tracy Lockwood Beckerman
MS, RD and author of The Better Period Food Solution.
FROM RUSSIA TO GREENWICH WITH LOVE
Until age seven, Katya grew up in Communist Russia, where her family of four inhabited a one-room apartment. She and her husband moved from Greenwich Village to near Greenwich Avenue in 2016. “I love being in downtown Greenwich. I just love Greenwich Avenue,” says the mom of two, Zoe and Max. “La Penguin is our hands-down favorite restaurant. It’s almost like our other kitchen. I love Richards and Veronica Beard, and Piccolina for the little kids. And obviously Tod’s Point and all of the parks and family activities.”