Q&A – 7 questions for KOALA HUG founder Sandie Chan
In 2021, she founded the sustainable bedding brand KOALA HUG together with her brother Robert. Who is Sandie? What does she do? How does she maintain her healthy lifestyle? How much sleep does she need? Where does the name KOALA HUG bedding come from? Time to get to know her better! 7 Questions for KOALA HUG founder Sandie Chan.
Q: KOALA HUG – what a cute name. Where does the name come from?
Sandie: ‘Hey, thanks for the compliment! It was me who came up with the brandname KOALA HUG. All our luxurious sustainable bedding and duvets are made from TENCEL lyocell eucalyptus, a very sustainable material or actually it is a fiber. Koalas are such soft and cuddly animals. They mainly eat eucalyptus leaves. So there you go, KOALA HUG it is. By the way, did you know that koalas sleep 20-22 hours a day?!’
Q: You said that decorating homes is your passion. What’s your style?
“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance,” Coco Chanel once said. I like simplicity, peace, natural tones. My house and bedroom are very basically styled, down-to-earth with many neutral tones and only a few eyecatchers. It creates space and peace in my house but also in my head. Naturally I have all colors of duvet covers from our bedding brand. At the moment it showcases a pearl beige duvet cover from KOALA HUG with extra pillowcases in snow white. Looks elegant, luxurious and timeless.’
Q: What is your favorite item in your bedroom?
‘Haha, that’s a rather intimate question… My favorite item is my 100% TENCEL duvet. I simply love it. It sleeps so wonderfully soft and comfortable! I have a dust mite allergy and that is why this hypoallergenic duvet is perfect for me. Because of the fiber moisture management bacteria cannot grow on the surface of TENCEL. So the presence of dust mites in your bedding is very unlikely. For me personally it means that I don’t suffer from itching, irritated skin, eczema or breathing problems anymore. In addition, this duvet ventilates really well, it regulates your body temperature excellently, so no excessive sweating or being very cold anymore. My duvet combined with our bedding feels heavenly luxe. It feels even better than sleeping in a hotel.’
Q: How do you stay well balanced? Tell us your beauty secret!
‘Very simple: eat healthy, exercise a lot and sleep well. I have a very nice but also a busy life so I have to plan ahead and make sure that there is enough time to relax. I drink a lot of water with lemon and green tea, eat plant based food whenever possible and I hardly use dairy products anymore. Luckily I don’t need that much sleep, at the most 6 hours per night. But I do sleep really well. Short but sweet, so to speak.’
Q: Everything is sustainable these days. How important is sustainability to you personally?
‘Yes, the word sustainability is used too often also when it is not applicable, unfortunately. Very often for commercial reasons. That’s such a shame. Why not being honest and transparant about it and work towards our common green goals? After all, it is for our next generation – our children, nephews and nieces. I have been trying to live my life as sustainable as possible for years. I always try to make conscious decisions. When I buy things, I make sure that they last a long time and are sustainable. A timeless design is more important to me than something being trendy.’
Q: You are also responsible for product development. Where do you get your inspiration from?
‘I get inspiration from everywhere: magazines, museums, nature, (sports)fashion, movies… But I also get inspired by conversations with our customers. That is how we decided to develop our antibacterial TENCEL towel collection, purely from conversations with our customers. We are now working on new collection items. That will be very nice and exciting… But I can’t tell you more about it for now, it will be a surprise.’
Q: What is the best part of the day? What makes you happy?
“Oh, I don’t really have one favorite time of the day. I like both mornings and evenings, I can be productive and creative every part of the day. But I can get really excited when I can be of help to someone. I recently received an email from a woman who wanted to thank us because she sleeps so much better now. She said that she was in menopause at a young age due to chemotherapy and was suffering from hot flashes. Since she started using our TENCEL bedding and duvet, she has been sleeping much deeper and felt so more relaxed. It’s great that we can help people sleep better in this way. Yes, these kind of stories make me feel very happy.’
