Some products aren’t complicated and handy. Some of the products that bless the Shark Tank feed are just fun and labors of love. Entrepreneur Aly Lessor brought about these pillowcase dresses, or instead, pillowcase dresses inspired dressed. These dresses are an homage to the pillow case dresses that many wears in the South.
The fact that makes this product stand out is that it’s an homage to women everywhere. Lessor took a fashion device that was going out of fashion and made it into something fashionable and upscale. She managed to achieve with the product something that most people aren’t able to do with recycled products; she made them better while still maintaining the product’s originality.
She named the dresses after her daughter to add a personal touch to them. The dresses were colorful and vibrant. They are the kind that you can sell to women from all over the country as they can grow with the child.
Indeed, these dresses are not in line with the hyper-consumerism many are used to in America. But for all those environmentally conscious people. These dressed can be a blessing.
It looks like Cozy Bug has gone out of business or been bought out. They no longer have a website and their facebook page hasn’t been updated in a few years.
With her vision clear and unshakeable pitch, Aly Lessor walked into the tank and delivered her pitch. She asked for $50,000 for 25% of her business. She backed the choice up with claims of selling $300K of dresses in a month. She was also open to listing the cost breakdowns of her dresses.
She stated that the dresses cost $6 to make and retailed for anywhere between $28-$40. Aly not only noted that the dresses were a huge hit but also that she donated a portion of the profits to buy livestock for poor African villages.
Aly also said that she sold dress accessories and was learning to diversify her products too. When she said that, Mark said she should scale back as she was doing too much and stick to the dresses she saw selling.
He thought the dresses were a hassle and should be Aly’s primary focus moving forward. Robert said that he didn’t know anything about the fashion or pillowcase dresses, so he couldn’t bring anything substantial to the table. He didn’t provide an offer and said that he was out.
Mr. Wonderful said he would invest $50K for no equity but wanted royalties of $2 per dress until the business repaid him. He then wanted $1 per dress forever. Lori also offered $50K for 30% and said she was interested in making Aly into a millionaire for her idea.
Daymond then matched Lori’s offer and said that his fashion experience is immaculate and could bring her a lot of value to the company. Daymond and Lori seem to battle a bit back and forth for Aly. It was quite a heated discussion as Lori even wrote out a cheque. In the end, however, Lori opted for Daymond and left the tank with a deal.
Our Review of Cozy Bug
The wonderful thing about shark tank reviews is that it lets you see the object in a different light. There are good aspects and bad aspects to the cozy Bug. We have listed some of these below.
Pros of Cozy Bug
- Cozy Bug is an excellent product because it has women’s efforts at heart. It pays homage to all the mothers in the South who were making pillowcase dresses for their children. The products also have something periodic about it, making people wonder about its origins. There is a vintage elements to these dresses, which makes them stand out. People then want to buy these dresses as they are so different and reminiscent of another time in the American era.
- These dresses are different from the hyper-consumerist, capitalistic way we view fashion now. With fast fashion brands, clothes have become a problem due to the amount of wastage they entail. Thus, reintroducing used or long-lasting dresses could help in the marketing of such dresses.
- The dresses are a labor of love, and sales are invested in women from other countries too. Part of the profits goes to women in Africa dealing with violence. Thus, the base of the idea also has a cause attached which makes the product notable in the eyes of many.
Cons of Cozy Bug
- The dresses weren’t as high fashion as some other brands. The dresses didn’t have the appeal or capacity to compete with some more prominent brands. Thus, the brand must remain where it was without trying to compete with other luxury brands.
- The product also didn’t have many other options or diversity, which meant that it was likely to not rack up enough sales moving forward.
Aly made the right decision, sticking to Daymond John as he better understood the whole operation.
Who’s Cozy Bug For?
It’s for mothers with growing children. It’s for those who are more invested in having a sustainable lifestyle instead of investing in fast fashion. Cozy Bug is for those who are conscious of how clothes wastage can affect the world and want to make the world better.
It’s also for all the moms who want to pay homage to the women in the South. By buying their clothes, they could do so. And those who enjoy vintage imitation pieces and wish to have a period piece in their wardrobe.
Is There an Alternative for the Product?
There isn’t an alternative to the product yet. However, many other retailers sell pillowcase dresses like Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The rise of Etsy and Pinterest means that many women have also learned how to make pillowcase dresses that they can fit their children in. The alternatives are also just readily available in places like Walmart etc.
Our Final Thoughts
Cozy Bug was one of Shark Tank’s best episodes and a pretty good product. However, we think it only got the popularity that it did because it had a cause behind it. Pillowcase dresses are not that special in the world today, and their vintage appeal would only last for a short while. Thus, we think that given the time, the Sharks made the right decision, but they wouldn’t sell now.
