A towel by Antipodean brand Baina is guaranteed to immediately elevate your bathing experience. It was founded in 2019 by Bailey Meredith and Anna Fahey, with a mission to ‘disrupt the neutrality of the bathing space’, bringing design-led colour palettes and patterns to 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton towelling.
‘[This material] was a very conscious choice for us as a brand,’ says Fahey. ‘Organic cotton is soft, durable, natural, and biodegradable. We carefully consider the density of each towel to create a soft, plush, handle, whilst still ensuring it’s light enough to dry in time for the most regular of bathers.’
Five years on, Baina continues to draw upon a wide pool of references, from sculpture to architecture, making some of the most aesthetically pleasing bathroom towels, robes and mats out there. In keeping with its conscious ethos, all are responsibly crafted in Portugal to stand the test of time.
Now, Meredith and Fahey have teamed up with Emiliana Gonzalez and Jessie Young, who head up Los Angeles-based design studio Estudio Persona. Gonzalez and Young, who both hail from Uruguay, set up their joint practice in 2015, making furniture and lighting in bold silhouettes and neutral tones, using raw materials such as wood, leather, steel and brass. (This includes the ‘Medano’ and ‘Ruban’ collections, respective collaborations with Monde Singulier and Pierre Frey.)
Estudio Persona’s project with Baina is called ‘Umbra’ a four-piece, limited edition collection of plush towels with a subtle jacquard technique. This technique, alongside the ombre palette of ‘Stone’, ‘Sand’, ‘Rust’ and ‘Bark’, references the interplay of light and shadow, from where the collection takes its name. Ahead of the collection’s release in September (2024), the four founders tell Wallpaper* more about it.
Baina and Estudio Persona’s design-led towels are going to elevate your bathing experience
Wallpaper*: How did the idea of a Baina and Estudio Persona collaboration come about?
Bailey Meredith: Collaborations are an important dimension of our collection planning, and so we were intrigued as to how we could co-create a towelling collection through the lens of a design studio. We had long admired Estudio Persona’s work, and when we connected in early 2023, inviting them into the world of Baina felt like such a natural fit. We instantly knew we could bring together the design codes from both brands, whilst embracing our shared philosophy of simplicity and refinement.
Emiliana Gonzalez: Baina approached us, and after getting to know them and learning more about their values, working together felt organic. The brand’s use of natural materials, combined with a mindful craftsmanship, really resonated with us. We also connected with their minimal approach, and felt our vision could complement their collection.
W*: How did you arrive at the theme of the ‘Umbra’ collection?
EG: Architecture is a constant inspiration for us. In this case, we looked at how the light filters through buildings. We began by exploring how the sun’s shifting position in the sky can alter the direction of its rays, and from that, the shadow that an object casts.
W*: ‘Umbra’ is a four-piece collection: a bath sheet, bath towel, hand towel, and bath mat. Why did you select these four products to work with?
Jessie Young: We wanted create a sense of continuity throughout the collection by reimagining the towels as one connected item, instead of separate unique towels. We created an illusion of ombre using lines – their separation gradually changes, creating a transition between each towel.
Anna Fahey: In a first for Baina, this collaboration consisted of a complete towelling set. We invited Estudio Persona to conceptualise how the four-piece collection would sit together in the bathing space, layering it with warmth and depth. The conceptual rigour and deep understanding of interiors from Estudio Persona seamlessly integrated with our vision to elevate the daily routine of bathing.
W*: How have the ‘Umbra’ towels been fabricated?
AF: Our towels are constructed using a two-ply twist, an extra detail in the weaving process, whereby two cotton fibres are twisted together making a rope-like yarn. In addition to giving a superior strength and stability, this technique creates a higher absorbency, drawing moisture to the base of the towel rather than ‘pushing it around’ like many conventional towels.
This collaboration sees our first collection crafted entirely from cut pile, organic cotton velour, resulting in a plush texture and velvety soft surface for enhanced softness. The application of a jacquard technique contrasts raised blocks of terry against the base fabric of each towel. The resulting tonal variants reference the effect of light and shadow.
W*: Can you discuss how you arrived at the colour palette for ‘Umbra’?
JY: Drawing inspiration from the phenomena of ‘umbra’, the collection explores the interplay of light and shadow. The natural earthy shades were carefully selected to create a visual story which reinforces how the presence – or absence of light – can alter tone.
W*: What did you learn from this collaborative process?
BM: There was natural dialogue between us, and we led with a minimalist approach. As with most design processes, we started with an aligned concept – but this had many iterations, and really pushed the boundaries. Being new to ‘the towel’, Estudio Persona challenged us to reimagine the potential of terry and towelling as textiles. This has allowed us to explore new creative possibilities, too.
JY: For us, the challenge of working in a new material is always exciting, learning the possibilities and limitations. It was our first time designing textiles, which was a big challenge for us. We’re used to designing volumetric shapes, and to be part of a tangible prototyping process where we can alter and visualise the final product ahead. The textile is a very different process – and we loved learning from it.
The limited-edition ‘Umbra’ collection will be available at the Baina online store, ssense.com and select retailers from 4 September, 2024.
