Like many Aussie fashion success stories – Zimmermann, Dinosaur Designs, By Johnny, to name a few – Renae James’s sleepwear label Papinelle started as a Saturday stall at Sydney’s Paddington Markets. It was 2003, before the days of curated pyjama stores, and James would sell printed floral nightwear she sewed during the week.
The inspiration was a sleepwear boutique in Vienna, which James stumbled across on her travels after finishing uni, where she had studied print design. “I’d never seen a sleepwear store before, and it was so beautiful,” she tells Broadsheet.
“I think people are a lot more experimental when it comes to print with pyjamas – everybody can wear a printed PJ, but not everyone loves wearing prints out, especially florals. So to me, [my prints] just lent themselves to sleepwear.”
Just one year after her market days, James opened Papinelle’s first brick-and-mortar offering on Oxford Street, Paddington. Fast forward 21 years, and the site is still home to the brand’s flagship store.
It’s a bit of a full-circle moment, James says, reflecting on how far the label has come. “It’s the same, and it’s very different.”
More than two decades on, Papinelle has launched into the global fashion stratosphere, with American stockists including Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s and Nordstrom. Closer to home, you can find the label’s floral and pastel designs at David Jones and across six stores nationwide.
“I met my business partner [Nicole Kelly] in New York about eight years ago,” James says, “and her brand vision and creativeness is so different to mine – she’s really helped us take [Papinelle] to the next level.”
While James leads the charge on the print side of things, Kelly balances pattern with pared-back loungewear and elevated basics, expanding the range to suit every kind of sleep wardrobe.
Now, to mark the brand’s 21st birthday, Papinelle has gone back to its roots with a limited-edition Toile de Jouy collection. A nod to the brand’s name (a blend of the French words “papillon”, meaning butterfly, and “coccinelle”, translating to lady beetle), the heritage print is splashed with illustrations of both winged creatures, as well as dreamy clouds, and James and Kelly’s initials hidden somewhere in between.
“It’s a treasure trove of storytelling and parts of [our] journey,” James says.
Available in pure silk and cotton, the Toile de Jouy print comes in a range of Papinelle’s signature silhouettes. Go for the full-length set, or the boxer option as we move towards warmer weather. There’s also a kaftan and nightie version for a breezy, relaxed fit.
Or sip your morning coffee from the collection’s printed mug – made in collaboration with the expert ceramicists at Robert Gordon – while lounging in the matching midi robe.
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