After seven seasons of turning Bravo drama into must-see TV, Paige DeSorbo is stepping away from Summer House. But make no mistake — she’s not slowing down. In fact, she’s stepping fully into her next era as a founder, fashion entrepreneur, and multi-hyphenate creative with the launch of Daphne, her new luxe loungewear label designed for staying in — and looking incredible while doing it.
“I feel like, truly, I’ve been the past six months stepping into a new era of work and personal life,” DeSorbo tells GRAZIA USA in an exclusive interview. “It just felt most authentic to me now.”
The debut of Daphne and the announcement of her departure dropped in the same week — a deliberate move that symbolized more than just a career shift. It marked a transition from reality star to business visionary, something she’s quietly been working on for over three years.
A Brand Born in Bed
As fans of Giggly Squad and her Amazon Live series already know, DeSorbo has long been the unofficial ambassador for matching pajama sets, oversized tees, and being unapologetically horizontal. But behind the comfort-first aesthetic is a founder with a clear point of view — and a desire to disrupt what we expect from loungewear.
“Since the day I got on Summer House, I definitely wanted to come out with something that really aligns with me,” she lets GRAZIA in on. “And I remember thinking, maybe three or four years into the show, I missed it. I missed the mark… But I’m so thankful that that happened because anything I would have come out with at that time, really, I don’t think would have aligned with me. I wouldn’t have loved it as much as I love Daphne.”
The pandemic was a turning point. “Obviously, everyone was home and needed loungewear,” DeSorbo recalls. “And I was just like, if I see one more tie-dye set, I’m going to freak out. This is done.” That moment of frustration became the spark for her very first piece: the Hannah Tee, named after her best friend and podcast co-host, Hannah Berner.
“Hannah legitimately wore the same T-shirt every single day during COVID,” DeSorbo says. “At one point, I was like, have you washed it?… I went into the team and was like, ‘What if we make it more authentic to Hannah and we put stains on it?’ And they were like, ‘We don’t love it. We know this is your brand, but we are going to stand firm on this one.’”
“I have this thing where best idea wins. Just because I came up with the idea for Daphne brand doesn’t mean I have the best idea for everything… I have so many creative, smart people who have been in the business for years that really have been helping me with things that I have no idea about.”
Still, the real-life inspiration remained baked into the design — and that authenticity has shaped the entire collection.
Childhood Memories, Croc Compatibility, and the Perfect Capri
Every piece in Daphne has a story. For the 32-year-old, it wasn’t just about creating something stylish, but designing from a place of personal memory.
“From my childhood, I had this pair of pajama pants — I honestly think they were from the Gap or Old Navy — and I had them for so long they became Capri pants,” she shares. “They were the softest, I’d washed them a million times. So we came out with a pointelle Capri.”
That sense of “wanting what doesn’t yet exist” became the foundation for silhouettes and fabrics that are not only cozy but functional for real life — whether you’re lounging, working from home, or slipping on a kitten heel for a midday coffee run.
“I think my personal favorite is the poplin pant and the little matching crop top,” DeSorbo admits. “It looks like you might have been awake for a couple of hours, but probably not.”
“I made it versatile for the gigglers,” she adds. “If you’re a Croc girl, I feel like it will still go.”
Creating Without Pressure — And Loving It
Perhaps the most refreshing part of DeSorbo’s founder journey is how much she enjoyed it. As a mental health advocate, and someone who hasn’t shyed away from sharing her own journey with her fans, one might think adding such a large new venture to her plate would cause added stress and anxiety, right? Wrong — and another proven point that founding a fashion brand has always been at the crux of what DeSorbo has felt called to do.
“Honestly, I’m so busy that I don’t really have a moment to even freak out… I’m like, this is just a regular work day — I just have a million people talking about it.”
Unlike many celebrity brands that can feel rushed or overly strategic, Daphne came together slowly, lovingly, and totally on her terms. “I didn’t put pressure on myself to have it out by a certain date or make sure it was on Summer House,” she explains. “It really did become like, ‘This is fun.’ We’re all fashion girlies in the room. We all want to see what a different button looks like. I don’t feel like an adult because I’m just like, this is a fun thing that we’re doing after school.”
Still, the design process wasn’t without surprises. “Everything takes so long,” she came to be surprised by. “If I got a sample back, I could stare at it for literally five seconds and see three things I wanted to change. It was like, okay, well, that’s going to take a couple of months to get those buttons in or to change how this falls.”
Even details like piping weight or stitching depth had to be carefully reconsidered. “There’s so many little decisions that you don’t think about,” she says. “But again, my team made it so easy. So everyone was like, okay, we’ll wait for the buttons.”
Leaving Summer House — But Not the Spotlight
When asked about the decision to leave Summer House, DeSorbo made it clear that it was all about timing — and authenticity.
“I’m so incredibly grateful to Summer House,” she says from the heart. “I truly wouldn’t have any of the platform or any of the fan base that I have without it. But I don’t plan on disappearing.”
“This sounds cliché, but I’m so excited to go to my parents’ house for three weeks this summer,” she adds with a laugh. “I can’t really put my finger on it, but it was just a feeling inside. I felt like I was stepping into a new era.”
The Notes App, The Cat, and The Easter Eggs
For a line so sleek, it’s full of personal Easter eggs — some only her mom would notice. “I had a shirt from Forever 21 in ninth grade and it looked like the poplin crop top,” DeSorbo reveals. “I’ve thought about that shirt for so many summers because I’m like, that was the perfect summer shirt.”
Even the name Daphne has a sentimental origin — not so surprisingly to the Gigglers though.
“I felt like a middle school girl with a crush when we were coming up with different names,” she continues. “I kept writing the names on pieces of paper and looking at it and then texting it and seeing what it looked like… A man came up with the name Daphne. I had already obviously had Daphne [the cat], but he said, ‘What about Daphne?’ And right when he said it, I was like, it’s perfect.”
And the real Daphne? She’s the brand muse in more ways than one. “She sleeps 22 hours of the day,” DeSorbo laughs. “So she inspires a lot of, like, okay, we’re lounging, we’re sleeping, we’re cuddling.”
“I show her every time she’s on social media. She loved her Dunkin. She was so proud of herself. I would say Daphné inspires a lot of it because she sleeps 22 hours of the day.”
“Daphne’s eyes are this piercing blue. And so it was important to me… I want our coloring to be more in the blues. I feel like people would have expected me to do pink… but the Daphne blue, I feel like I never really see it.”
When asked if she used her Notes app to jot down never-before-shared ideas that contributed to the creation of this passion project, she jokes in a very Paige-coded way, “My Notes app? Like, literally, I’d be arrested. I would never show anyone those. Those are diabolical. If I die, someone has to delete my Notes app.”
What Comes Next
While the June 10 launch introduces the brand, DeSorbo is already dreaming beyond it. She envisions Daphne as a lifestyle brand that can grow with her — and her audience.
“I’m already getting so many messages like, ‘When are you going to do men’s?’ And I’m like, I just don’t care about them yet,” she jokes.
“I see Daphne growing with me as my life grows… I literally had a moment the other day where I was like, Wait, kids’ pajamas are going to be so great in a couple of years.”
But no matter how big the brand gets, the energy will remain the same: fun, personal, and for the girls. “I’m very excited for Daphne. I’m excited for the girls to experience it,” DeSorbo says with a smile. “I’m so connected to the Gigglers. I can’t wait to hear their feedback because it’s for them.”
“I truly feel like this is my art that I’m giving to the people and then letting them critique and criticize,” DeSorbo shares. “But it’s definitely been one of those things where I think about seven-year-old me and fantasizing like, ‘Okay, one day I’m going to have a fashion line, and what’s it going to be?’” Now, that fantasy is her reality — one that she built with intention, humor, and heart.
From pandemic-daydreamed mood boards to a thoughtfully executed launch, Daphne isn’t just Paige DeSorbo’s next business move — it’s the culmination of years of quietly dreaming, diligently creating, and staying true to herself.
And for that seven-year-old girl who once imagined her own fashion line? She didn’t just get there — she did it in matching pajamas.
