Forming a Global Partnership around a Sustainable (and luxurious) Night’s Sleep

Bonus Material: Download the Companion for this Episode

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Phoebe Yu is the CEO of Ettitude, a company that produces the softest and smoothest 100% organic, environmentally friendly bedding and sleepwear.

While shopping for her own home after moving to Melbourne, Australia, she spotted an opportunity within the luxury goods market to create sustainable products that were everything she was looking for: eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, high-quality home textile options, such as bed sheets and pillowcases, for a price that matched more affordable cotton sheets.

It took years of testing materials, weaving, and dyeing techniques. But harnessing her previous decade of experience working in supply chain management and merchandising, Phoebe ultimately perfected and launched Ettitude’s innovative bamboo lyocell fabric in 2014. 

In 2018, Ettitude expanded globally by opening a Los Angeles office, which brings us to Kat Dey, who is the president and co-founder of Ettitude.

After having the best night’s sleep of her life using one of Ettitude’s duvet covers, Kat joined the company to help with the specific expansion into the U.S. market, in order to help introduce their products to the global market.

Kat, like Phoebe, is a well-accomplished entrepreneur herself. In 2012, she founded Try the World, which is a direct-to-consumer food subscription company that disrupted the global artisanal food supply chain. It was named by Cranes New York as the #3 fastest growing company in New York before it was acquired in 2017. 

Phoebe and Kat were both well-accomplished entrepreneurs in their own rights before taking on this venture together, and their experiences have made them exceptionally well-equipped to head a business like Ettitude.

Running a mission driven company that has both Australian and American offices is a unique challenge, but they have worked hard together to incorporate a culture that keeps their two offices in harmony.

In our episode, we dive into what is different about Ettitude, what is different about their trajectory, and their purpose and impact with this company as opposed to the others they have played a role in in the past.

6 years after launch, Phoebe and Kat have turned the company into a well-oiled, planet-friendly home goods machine. From the sustainable bamboo fabric that Phoebe created, you can now pick up anything from a luxuriously soft sheet set to plush bath towels, and even cozy bedding for baby.

Not only do Phoebe and Kat strive to create quality products that serve the planet, they also use the company as a platform to truly give back and serve as an example for using business to better the world.

They are a 1% for the planet member, are official One Girl Business Crusaders, and have committed themselves to the CO2 Neutral Climate Initiative. It was truly a pleasure to speak to such exemplars in the purpose-driven space.

Bonus Material: Download the Companion for this Episode

Topics Discussed: 

• The inspiration for Ettitude
• Ettitude’s unique bedding products + the process behind them
• What Phoebe & Kat see as their respective roles in the company and their partnership
• Ettitude’s role in the global marketplace
• The culture Phoebe and Kat have cultivated around the company
• What they see for Ettitude’s future and growth

Links from the Episode:

• Ettitude on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
• Phoebe on LinkedIn
• Kat on LinkedIn
• Tesla
• by HumanKind
• Beautycounter
• Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang (short stories)
• The Biggest Little Farm (dir. John Chester, 2019)
• The Game Changers (dir. Louie Psyhoyos, 2019)