A great night’s sleep—it’s something we’re all after. But closing your eyes and waking up well-rested eight hours later has proven to be elusive for most. Is it the mattress? Is it your circadian rhythms? Is it the room temperature? Ritu Rana says the key is your sheets. The McLean resident recently launched Down Cotton, a company that makes “farm-to-bed sheets” using authentic Egyptian cotton.
“My grandmother was very selective about her bedsheets and would never compromise for anything other than Egyptian cotton,” says Rana. “I came to understand the importance of Egyptian cotton only when I started buying sheets for myself. The sheets that I bought were very inferior compared to my grandmother’s bedsheets in terms of softness and quality.”
And a company was born.
Rana works directly with cotton farmers in Egypt, bypassing the typical middlemen merchants, which allows the farmers to grow their income by 80% and the consumers to receive top-quality cotton. For the uninitiated, what makes Egyptian cotton superior, according to Rana, is it’s made of fibers—known as long staples—that are considerably longer than regular cotton fibers. This allows for a longer weave without as many joints, which means the sheets are much softer. In addition to its Egyptian cotton sheets, Down Cotton has also expanded its line to include bamboo sheets, down comforters, pillows and bath linens.
Whatever comes next, Rana says, the company’s focus will be on increasing the number of farmers they work with directly. And as for a good night’s sleep? Though it’s fair to says she’s biased, Rana says, “A healthy lifestyle with some exercise or yoga and beautiful Down Cotton bedding are the secret to a great night’s sleep!” // sheet sets from $125
This story originally ran in our February issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
