Where Are They Now: Parachute Home

Written by Kaylee Franklin

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The home category is an ever-growing one. This category with innovative brands still contains room for some white space. With stores like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods (and all the others), it can be hard to find premium, quality, and comfortable items.

In 2014, Ariel Kaye, Founder and CEO of Parachute Home set out to tackle this head-on, making home items she loved of premium quality, to bring more comfort to not only her world, but everyone else's as well. 

Ariel first launched Parachute Home as an online-only, direct-to-consumer brand, Her mission was to focus on impeccable bedding. Since launching in 2014, they’ve opened 17 retail stores with two more coming soon, while also continuing to drive their online DTC strategy. Let's take a step back and look at when we were first introduced to Parachute Home. 

In our second episode, Jumping Out of the Conventional, published in October 2018, Lee sat down with Ariel to chat about Parachute. They chatted about the challenges and rewards of fundraising, how to build a collaborative environment, and ways to tell a story in a big, bold, and undeniable way. Ariel also shared the news of their recent (at the time) $30M Series C round, and why she believes fundraising is like a performance. Since we last spoke with Ariel, Parachute used their Series C round to launch into three new categories: mattresses, rugs, and furniture! 

Their first expansion announcement came in January of 2019, according to a press release by CNN. This first expansion was the launch of their mattresses, as Parachute deems “the foundation of a great night's sleep.” The mattresses were created to be supportive, eco-friendly, and of course, comfortable. It comes in sizes ranging from Twin to a California King- truly a game-changer. They also come with a 100-night trial, and if you don’t like it after 100 days, they’ll come pick it up for free. 

Their next expansion came in March of 2019, with the introduction to their line of rugs! Clever helped drop the news of the rug announcement and stated “your cold feet need Parachute’s cozy new rugs.” Parachute’s rugs are all artisanal hand-woven and currently come in nine different shapes, patterns, colors, and sizes.

One of their most recent announcements is the expansion in the home category with the launch of furniture pieces. Their first piece of furniture came in September of 2021, with their bed frames, which they like to call the beginning of “a softer take on furniture.” The bed frames currently come in three different styles with an array of different colors. 

The expansion doesn’t just end with bed frames! Since last September, they’ve continued to grow their furniture line with nightstands, benches, and even dog beds. Ariel sat down with Retail Leader earlier this year to chat about the expansion of home items and the items coming soon. She stated that they’ve been able to see a lot of growth with these expansions and their goal is “to launch collections for every room in the house.”

Not only has Parachute been expanding its stores and home items, but they’ve also started Complimentary Styling Consultations, for those of us who need just a little more help styling our spaces how we dream of them! All you have to do is book an appointment, meet with a stylist, and you’ll receive a personalized look book just for your space. 

Parachute also announced its Home for Dream Initiative, a six-month program that includes mentorship from Founder and CEO, Ariel Kaye, access to the entire Parachute team, amplification across Parachute’s marketing channels, and a $25k grant.

Among these announcements, plus collaborations with Crate & Barrel, hotels, and other partnerships, Parachute continues to grow and has plans “to launch 30 more stores by the end of this year" according to RetailDive. 

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We love reflecting back at some of our older episodes, uncovering the impressive progress that these companies make over the years, and we look forward to watching their continued growth. Want us to look back at another brand, review a product, or have any comments, or questions about Stairway to CEO? Drop us a line here!