This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
I was invited to visit Cucumber Clothing and as I sat down with the two founders, Nancy and Eileen, I realised that this company ticks so many boxes relevant to us.
Cucumber Clothing is a new company founded by three women over 50 (first tick) who, I must add, do not look their age at all. They have both had successful careers(tick) so when the two of them were on a flight together, returning from a hot country, they started to discuss the lack of good nightwear to buy. What they meant by good nightwear is nightwear that performs well, keeps us cool when our in-body thermostats are not working as well as they could – sleeping under a super-tog duvet in a well-heated bedroom. We do not want to wake up in a pool of sweat with a nightie or pyjamas that now look like a dish-rag. Nightwear is such an important garment as we wear it every night for about 8 hours and yet it tends to look good in the picture but does not function properly. You would not buy a raincoat for wet weather that was not waterproof, so why buy a piece of nightwear that makes you sweat, creases up and needs constant washing and ironing.
Nancy and Eileen, upon realising that there was a hole in the nightwear market, formed Cucumber Clothing in January 2015 to solve this problem. They scoured the world for the perfect fabric and they eventually found it in Canada. It is a wicking fabric which is a modern technical fabric which draws moisture away from the body and dispels it into the air. Wicking fabric is often used in sportswear for similar reasons i.e. to dispel sweat as efficiently as possible and not to absorb it into the fabric.
“Our intelligent fabric wicks your sweat away and its patented bacteria-eliminating properties make sure you stay deliciously fresh all night long.”
I am not going to try to tell you that this nightwear is sexy but it is feminine and flattering (another tick). The shapes have been carefully designed and the two colours are suitable for all skin tones. There is no elastic or lace which can irritate and does not wick! If it gives you a good night of sleep and you wake up looking fresh and as cool as a cucumber then it gets my vote!
There are obvious positive uses for this nightwear, menopausal women or those undergoing chemotherapy.
“Research has shown that over 80% of women suffer from night sweats or hot flushes during the menopause. We are here for you, whether you are menopausal or perimenopausal, on medication or postpartum, whether you are receiving cancer treatment, have diabetes, thyroid issues or sleep apnoea. Or maybe you are simply a woman who just gets hot at night.”
However I am none of those, thankfully, and I still absolutely adore it. Cucumber Clothing gave me a short cami nightie to road test and I now do not want to sleep in any other nightwear. I did feel fresh when I awoke and my nightie looked as if I had only just put it on. The fabric is very soft and so comfortable, it does not rub or get caught around your body as you move about – apparently we roll over on average 13 times during a 7-8 hour night and whilst this is natural it can be that your nightwear gets twisted up which was not the case with my Cucumber Clothing nightie.
The added great news is that you wash it on a cool wash (no fabric conditioner), hang it up to dry for 30 minutes, no ironing, and it is as good as new. So imagine how useful it would be on holiday when luggage space is an issue and you are travelling to a hot country – you could even rinse it out in your hotel basin and just hang it to dry.
It is not very often that I go ‘wow’ to a new product but this is one of those rare times. Nancy stressed the efficacy of this product however I am impressed by the efficacy of these two ladies and their success in producing their desired result. I wish them every success in their mission ‘to make interrupted sleep a thing of the past, so you can face the day ahead.’
I can’t wait to see what they have up their cool sleeves – more colours, a dressing-gown? Click HERE for their website and start buying as I know you will not be disappointed with this range of nightwear.