our story
Inspired by the stress his own bedtime caused when he was younger, Kyle (13) and his older sister Samara (14), were talking about how some kids really struggle with going to bed. He was a fidgeter and felt lonely at night, which made it hard for him to settle and fall asleep. Even when he managed to finally drift off, he’d sleep restlessly, often reawakening only to start the process all over again.
Like so many other kids who struggle with falling asleep, Kyle sought out sensory and tactile objects to help him self-soothe and relax.
Eventually, after much trial and error, we found a combination of items that helped him self-settle and transition to a peaceful, soothing, and well-rested sleep.
Lou (40-something), is mum to the Muluzu crew and no stranger to stressful bedtimes. The frustration; the overwhelm; the feeling deep in your gut that you’re barely three seconds away from your eyeballs falling out of your head because you’re so freaking tired; and the juggling of all this while trying to maintain a household and a job. Yep. She’s been there. Boy has she been there.
The instinct to provide comfort, love, and protection to your child when they’re stressed or worried is completely natural. So too is the desire to help your little ones get the sleep you know they (and you!) so desperately need.
That’s why we created Muluzu Pillowcase Pals.
our mission
We’re here to:
✭ replace your evening battles with beautifully calm, dreamily stress-free bedtime routines
✭ help your little ones learn to self-soothe and self-settle so they can fall asleep with ease and comfort
✭ help your entire household get a great night’s sleep, night after night
✭ share the bedtime love with our unique, ethically made sleep products, designed by kids, for kids
take it from us!
Samara and Kyle are the youngest members of our family and are the hearts and minds behind our Australia designed, original Muluzu Pillowcase Pals.
One night, chilling on the couch after dinner (mac and cheese in case you were wondering–a family staple), Kyle was telling Samara about how much he used to HATE bedtime when he was younger. He’d get worked up and stressed out–Every. Single. Night–making his bedtime the number one most frustrating and nerve-wracking event in our household–for everyone!
After chatting about all the things we’d tried (some successfully, others less so) to help him get to sleep, Samara designed our first pillowcase. A creation incorporating all the tactile and sensory features Kyle loved in one adorable yet completely practical product.
our values
OUR FAMILY
the muluzu crew
We’re an entrepreneurial, imaginative, sleep-obsessed family from Melbourne, Australia. As a four-kid household, we know just how important it is for everyone to get the sleep they need – something that’s much easier to achieve if the youngest members are settling easily and without bedtime anxiety. The original Muluzu Pillowcase Pals have been created—with an entire pillow forte’s worth of love—by our family, for yours.
Read more about our little dream team here.
samara
“The Creator”
Chief Idea Generator
Samara isn’t exactly your average teenager. She initially produced the genius prototype for Muluzu and has worked hard to develop further sleep product ideas for kids, that she knows they’ll love. She also knows what they want and what will help. After all, kids know kids, right?!
Every day she provides inspiration, ideation and quirkiness to our team.
Samara loves singing, playing netball (GK is her fav position), staging products for photo and video shoots, and helping those less fortunate. She also reserves a large chunk of her heart especially for animals.
She is definitely our go-to ideas girl.
kyle
“The Product tester”
Head of quality
Making sure our products are kid friendly and ‘cool’ is an important job!
That’s where our Head of Quality comes in. Kyle takes Muluzu to the people (there’s a reason we call him “Mr Popular” around here-kids are just naturally drawn to him!)
He gathers essential validation feedback from the kids and makes sure it’s taken onboard by our team. Like his sister Samara, Kyle has the ability to think outside the box in a quirky way.
Kyle’s all about fun and loves a good chat! He’s energetic and super smart, making him the perfect guy to handle market testing and quality control.
lou
“The Business Coach”
CEO
Lou (aka Mum) is the glue that keeps the team together. When she’s not juggling her shift work, Lou’s at home working on the brand with the kids.
Blown away by Samara and Kyle’s joint creation of the original product, she works diligently to pull all the pieces together and build a high-quality brand while her kids learn alongside her.
Having dabbled with a few businesses in the past, and with a strong desire to teach her kids skills they can lean on for life, Lou is responsible for laying the foundation upon which Muluzu’s success will be built.
Her other interests include basketball, netball, travel, and making the best dang mac and cheese her family’s ever tasted!
jord
“The Systems Sister”
Head of operations
Our Head of Operations, Jord, keeps the Muluzu crew firmly grounded. She knows how to get the balance of ideas and productivity just right!
Jord is the fun big sister who also manages to keep everything super-organised for us. (Oh, and she does it all while studying a double degree in Law and Criminology AND juggling a gig as a Paralegal – impressive, huh?).
On top of all this, Jord also looks after our shipping, content, and social media.
In her spare time (which is rare these days, let’s be honest) Jord enjoys refereeing basketball, doing Pilates, and being with her family.
cody
“The fixer-Upper”
Head Product Engineer
Cody‘s a man of many talents. When he’s not customising cabinets for clients in his own business, he’s all hands-on-deck and putting his design skills to clever use over here at Muluzu. He’s brilliant with all things technical and manual and is our go-to guy when something doesn't work!
As with the rest of the family, Cody enjoys sport, socialising, camping, and—much to our delight—cooking.
He loves being our number one and favourite big bro, and he is super protective of us all.