By David Gill
NEW YORK–Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. has joined the ranks of athletes with a home furnishings license, by lending his name to a new line of bedding products from Australia-based Sleep and Dream.
The Cal Ripken Authentic Range Underlay and Duvet will be formally introduced to the U.S. market at the upcoming New York Gift Show. Sleep and Dream is owned by Barry Young, who was himself a former athlete—a player in the Australian Rules Football league.
According to a Sleep and Dream statement, Young will be present at the gift show to display the new line. The line will be featured in U.S. departments stores and on QVC next month, the statement added.
The Cal Ripken line is made from natural wool fiber, which acts as a natural thermostat for the body. This feature of wool, Sleep and Dream said, works to improve a person’s sleep by actively managing body temperature.
“Temperature imbalance can cause excess moisture buildup, rapid heart rate, increased tossing and turning, and waking up feeling clammy and sluggish,” the company said. “Wool actively manages body temperature by transporting excess body heat and humidity away from the body before it has a chance to build up and disrupt sleep.”
Another Sleep and Dream statement spoke of the “instant bond and kinship” that Ripken and Young experienced when they met. “They both knew the wear and tear their sports wrought on the body,” the company said. “The underlay has a natural spring and bounce that just does not get washed out, and the natural lanolin remains in the wool. Barry didn’t just understand this; he saw an opportunity to share it with the rest of the world, especially the world of people who spend their days using and abusing their bodies, and look to their bed for a recuperative night’s sleep.”
The hookup with Ripken, obviously, gives Sleep and Dream a highly recognized name to lend to the product line as well. “Cal being a little more well known than Barry, out here in the United States, agreed that his name would allow more people to hear about the product a lot faster, and so the Cal Ripken authentic wool range was born,” Sleep and Dream said.
The new line “is also a good choice for those who suffer from allergies,” the company said, “as it reduces the damp/humid conditions required for the life cycle of the dust mite. It also happens to be fire resistant.”
To further the marketing of the new line in this country, Sleep and Dream has also set up a Web site, ripkenwool.com. Consumers can buy the products on the site, and Ripken is also featured in a commercial that is running on the site.