A new brand wants to get into bed with you. It’s called 10 Grove, a direct-to-consumer startup that sells luxury bedsheets that are just as high in quality as heritage brands like Frette and Sferra whose sheets can go for upwards of $1,000.
If this premise sounds familiar, it’s because several other startups, including Brooklinen, Parachute, and Boll & Branch, have launched over the past few years with a similar concept. 10 Grove, along with these other startups, sells a set of sheets for about $200. This has created a category of luxurious, but affordable bedding for millennials who want to upgrade from their Ikea or Target bedding.
While most bedsheet startups source their products from foreign factories, Argenio’s family owns the American factory where 10 Grove sheets are made. She also has a longstanding relationship with the Italian mill that produces the fabric, since her family has been working with it for decades. “By controlling every part of the manufacturing process, we’re able to save costs at every single turn, which allows us to use higher-quality materials but sell at the same price as other direct-to-consumer startups,” Argenio says.
Many recent bedding startups launched with a small selection of products and expanded slowly, but 10 Grove launches with more than 360 different SKUs. The company sells every single item in both Percale and Sateen weaves. Argenia conducted research and focus groups before launch, and discovered that the average consumer isn’t well-versed in different bedding materials. To this end, 10 Grove cleverly offers customers a “blind feel test” where they can pay $10 for two pillowcases–one of each material–which will help them figure out which one they like better.
Now that there are so many bedding startups, the brands are all beginning to differentiate from one another based on aesthetics. Parachute is now known for its relaxed vibe and earth-inspired colors while Brooklinen is famous for its geometric patterns. 10 Grove has a more traditional aesthetic, the kind that you might find at a five-star hotel. The brand has also created a coverlet that goes on top of the duvet so the bed looks prim and tidy, in contrast for the wrinkled, ruffled look the other brands are going for.
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