The “Sleep Hoodie” You Never Knew You Needed

Successfully napping on the go is an awesome life skill in general. But it can be completely transformative during hellish holiday travel (especially pertinent if you're reading this while shuffling through a comically long TSA security line right now). Enter the Hypnos hoodie, which is tricked out with a hidden inflatable, ergonomic neck pillow that lets the wearer very subtly nab some shut-eye. It's currently available via a Kickstarter campaign, which calls the concept a “day-to-day (and day-to-night) essential comfort garment.” The company is aiming to raise $30,000 by January 11. The concept emerged, perhaps unsurprisingly, en route to the airport, says cofounder Josh Woodle (whose day job is in film production); Woodle credits the initial idea to his brother Ryne. The Chicago-bred siblings grew up wearing hoodies constantly, Woodle recalls, and he wanted to find a way to combine the comfy layering staple with the ubiquitous "neck pillow as travel accessory," Josh says. The company’s wear-test process lasted for two years on “many flights across the country,” Woodle says. The inflatable pillow inserts, made by a top U.S. inflatable manufacturer, are removed before the hoodie gets tossed in the laundry, and they’re meant to last a lifetime. (If the incognito headrest falters, the company offers replacement inflatables for $5.)

"The pillow had to be perfect; it had to feature a new shape that was comfortable, versatile, and inconspicuous to the outside world," Woodle told Refinery29. "Our next focus was to offer a beautiful hoodie that could transition from a day on the plane straight to the bar at night." Woodle met designers to make the hoodie a reality, Elaine Yue and Leah Hulon, "through six degrees of separation," he says. Hypnos’ target demographic is millennials and those partaking in “new travel culture,” as Woodle puts it. “An increasing portion of the population are required to travel for work,” he says, as well as those making moves to visit family, say, or explore new corners of the world with those hard-earned vacation days. The slumber-supporting hoodie is priced at $89 for relaxed fit pullover style, $99 for the fitted silhouette, $119 for relaxed-fit or fitted zip-up styles, and $139 for the woven jacket version. Early birds who crowdfund the project can get $20 to $45 off, depending on the style. In terms of eventual sales partners, Woodle cites retailers like Farfetch, “for the attention they offer small brands and boutiques,” Lyst, as well as American Rag, because of its “highly selective process and close attention to independent brands. Check out the below video to get a better sense of how the snooze-enabling pillow works.