Brooklinen is one of our go-tos when it comes to sleep — the brand makes our favorite down comforter and the softest linen sheets. And now the sleep experts behind the company are looking to get in your head in a whole new way: Introducing Marlow, a new direct-to-consumer pillow brand from the creators of Brooklinen, and The Pillow, a pillow that’s simplified the process of shopping for the best place to your rest your head for the night.
The rundown
So what makes The Pillow so special? It’s designed to work for both those who prefer firmer support and those who like more fluff, thanks to an innovative zipper detail that allows you to customize the firmness of your pillow. Like an expandable suitcase, you can unzip one or both of the zippers to create extra loft (and thus, a flatter pillow), or keep them zipped up for an extra-supportive feel.
Aside from the unique adjustability factor, The Pillow is made with an aerated foam and microfiber interior and antimicrobial exterior that provide ideal airflow for a cooling sleeping experience (looking at you, hot sleepers).
The Pillow is available in two sizes: The Standard retails for $65, measures in at 17.5 inches by 26 inches and weighs 40 ounces, while the King costs $85, measures in at 17.5 inches by 36 inches and weighs 50 ounces. If you opt to bundle, however, that price comes down: Orders of two or three pillows are eligible for 25% off, and orders of four or more pillows get 40% off. Marlow also offers 365-day returns and a two-year warranty.
The lowdown
After several nights spent sleeping on The Pillow, I’m a believer in adjustability as a pillow feature. In the past, I’ve been both too lazy and too ignorant to really dig into the amount of fluff I’m looking for in a pillow: When in-person shopping, I awkwardly lay my head on the pillow while standing in a busy retail store aisle (frankly, not a great test of whether the pillow will be comfortable to me when I’m sleeping in my bed), and if I order online, I’m typically satisfied enough by my pillow purchase that I don’t feel the need to jump through the hoops of returning it and searching for a better one. In fact, before Marlow’s pillow, I wasn’t even sure if I preferred a firmer pillow or a fluffier one.
After trying The Pillow in a variety of formulations — both zippers zipped, both unzipped, one unzipped — I’ve discovered that in fact I fall into the supportive pillow camp. But the experience of trying each variation in my own bed over the course of multiple nights was valuable in and of itself and subsequently made me feel surer of the comfort of a pillow than I have, well, ever.
Bottom line
Our expectations of Marlow were sky-high, thanks to the outstanding reputation of its predecessor, Brooklinen — and the company’s very first product has gone above and beyond with a pillow that’s truly for everyone. The things you need to get a good night’s sleep, like bedding, comforters, mattresses and all the accoutrements, are so often completely subjective, but The Pillow is prepared to meet the needs of all sleepers and take the guesswork out of the pillow shopping process. Only time will tell what other innovations Marlow will come up with, but based on its first foray into the sleep space, we’ll be dreaming of the possibilities nightly.
