Peter Alexander is a true entrepreneuer and at age 24, he decided it was time to be his own boss. When his female friends were unable to find comfortable women's pyjamas that weren't matronly styles, he decided to get into the pyjama game.
Working from his Mother's dining room table Peter began making women's pyjamas selling to department stores. When the phone rang, to make the business seem bigger Peter and his Mum would pretend to be someone else!
When a department store cancelled an order for 2000 pairs of pyjamas, Peter turned his biggest set back into an opportunity. He then put a mail order advertisement in a popular women's magazine and the response was overwhelming. Peter was flooded with 6000 orders from one ad and since then he hasn't looked back!
Current Work:
Following this success the business started to grow and attract media attention. Peter was dubbed the 'Pyjama King' by the Australian Media and the nickname has stuck to this day! His humorous, quirky and playful personality shines through in every collection. Each new collection has a unique theme and is inspired either by Peter's travels around the world, from Paris & New York to African Safaris or exciting design collaborations with Disney and Sesame Street just to name a few.
Celebrities began wearing his pyjamas such as Delta Goodrem, Dame Edna, Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders, Kylie Minogue, Miranda Kerr and Hugh Jackman.
These unique collections are designed to delight women, men and children alike and are loved around the world every night. Crafted from the most comfortable and luxurious fabrics, you'll find more than just pyjamas at Peter Alexander. There's also loungewear, daywear, footwear and gifts.
Peter was always an animal lover, even from a young age. But it was Penny who ignited Peter's passion for animal welfare. Peter is an ambassador for the RSPCA, constantly thinking of ways to raise money and awareness to help all creatures great and small.
One day he walked past an adorable little dachshund puppy in need of home. That was the day he found Penny who grew to become the beloved and iconic logo of the brand. As you walk through the pink doors today, you will see Penny almost everywhere, from the pyjamas to the gift packaging and even Penny dog shaped door handles!
The Just Group acquired the business in 2000. Since then, Peter Alexander Sleepwear has grown with leaps and bounds from a pure catalogue based business to a multi-channel business with 100 retail stores within Australia and New Zealand, with Peter Alexander himself as the Creative Director of the brand
Talking Points
The Peter Alexander Story
Many people write off Peter Alexander as a person with no fashion experience, a learning disability, and no university education who somehow managed to turn a $3,000 loan from his father into a retail empire that now turns over around $350M in annual revenue.The Peter Alexander Story
But how did he achieve all that? And how has he survived over 35 years in business?
In his presentations, Peter shares the unconventional lessons he has learned through his experience of building Peter Alexander into what it is today.
His story may amuse and scare audiences, but it is guaranteed to inspire audiences to challenge the status quo and give insights into what it takes to build a 9-figure business in the world we live in today.
Peter was a brilliant speaker and the audience bonded with him. He was funny and entertaining but also spoke of the potential disasters that were averted and became learning curves. I had sp ... keep reading Maroondah City Council
