The Intersection of Home and Wellness, with Ariel Kaye of Parachute Home
In this episode of The Room Podcast, we sit down with Ariel Kaye, the founder of Parachute, a brand known for elevating the home essentials industry with a focus on comfort and wellness. Ariel shares her journey from a creative upbringing to her path through advertising, where she discovered her passion for building brands, eventually leading to the founding of Parachute.
Join us as we dive into how Parachute taps into the wellness movement by focusing on the importance of sleep and home comfort. We explore the company’s core product — bedding — and why it resonated with consumers looking for better home essentials. Ariel also shares insights on creating a brand from scratch while disrupting a market, the importance of consumer insights and communication in building a business, and the ups and downs of running a business while raising a family.
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T1: Empowering Sustainability and Consumer Trust
Parachute began as a side project focused on home design, but founder Ariel Kaye soon found herself exploring a fundamental question: *What makes a home?* Her curiosity led her to focus on one critical area — bedding and sleep. As she discussed the topic with friends, Kaye discovered that few people felt any brand loyalty in the bedding industry. They described frustrating shopping experiences and a market clouded by misinformation. Recognizing these pain points, Kaye saw an opportunity to connect the dots between sleep and wellness, which was a growing focus in 2014.
To build credibility from the outset, Kaye traveled to Europe, where she sourced premium-quality textiles. She knew her customers would appreciate a product they could trust, but she also understood the importance of educating them. Kaye hired a PR agency ahead of Parachute’s launch to help tell these stories, sharing insights about chemicals commonly used in other bedding products, debunking myths about “thread count,” and explaining the significance of Oeko-Tex certification for safe and sustainable materials.
On January 16, 2014, Parachute launched — and it didn’t take long to find its place in the market. At the height of the wellness trend, consumers connected with a brand that offered both high-quality, sustainable products and a deeper commitment to better sleep.
T2: Navigating Brand Identity in the Digital Age
In 2014, Ariel Kaye launched Parachute as a direct-to-consumer brand, entering a rapidly changing retail landscape dominated by digital-first companies. With an online-only model, Kaye understood the importance of building a strong brand identity to foster trust — a challenge unique to the digital age.
From the start, Parachute’s brand identity has been rooted in quality and comfort. Over the past decade, Kaye has focused on maintaining this identity as the brand expanded both online and in physical stores. Today, this commitment to consistent values is reflected in Parachute’s high repeat purchase rate, which Kaye considers the brand’s “north star” for measuring customer loyalty and brand health.
As Parachute has grown, its approach to brand identity in the digital space has remained intentional. Each new category is added thoughtfully, ensuring the brand evolves with its customers without losing sight of its original purpose. For Kaye, navigating the brand’s identity means maintaining a clear perspective on who Parachute is and growing alongside the customer, so they feel connected to the brand no matter where life takes them.
T3: Future of Omni-Channel Retail.
Although Parachute launched as an online brand, the in-person experiences crafted by its brick-and-mortar showrooms have become essential to its identity. This physical journey began two years after launch when Ariel Kaye and her team opened a pop-up in Venice, CA. Observing customers as they felt the textures, absorbed the ambiance, and immersed themselves in the brand’s essence underscored the value of a physical presence. For Kaye, the stores represent more than just retail spaces; they’re environments where customers can genuinely experience the Parachute world. Her philosophy prioritizes relationship-building over transactions, inviting customers to “get under the covers,” test the towels, and envision the products as part of their own homes.
From a business perspective, retail is also a strategic move. Kaye notes that 90% of bedding purchases still happen offline, and she “always knew” that brick-and-mortar would play a role in Parachute’s growth. She acknowledges the high cost of reaching consumers exclusively online and recognizes that relying on a single channel in a dynamic market poses risks.
Looking forward, Parachute is doubling down on experiential investments, ensuring that every customer interaction — whether digital or physical — reflects the brand’s core identity. As the company continues to balance its digital and physical channels, its omni-channel strategy underscores a commitment to meeting customers wherever they are, providing a seamless experience that resonates with their needs.
