BAINA, is the Aesop of towelling
Founded by two childhood friends, BAINA has brought the spa experience home with their beautifully designed towels.
It’s been said that some of our best ideas come to us in the shower. Something about the combination of relaxing warm water and it being one of the few moments of the day where many of us truly get some alone time. In the case of luxury New Zealand towelling brand BAINA, however, it wasn’t the shower but the bath that inspired its creation. Or more specifically, the act of bathing, says Anna Fahey, who co-founded the company with childhood friend Bailey Meredith back in 2019.
“We both have a deep personal connection to bathing,” says Fahey. “It became clear that the category had been somewhat overlooked. We wanted to provide a more considered and elevated offering.”
The idea behind BAINA is simple: do for towelling what Australian skincare brand Aesop did for hand soap. Take the most humble, utilitarian item in the home and turn it into something that is a pleasure to not only use but also to look at. To have in your own home the level of quality and textural pleasure we would normally associate with a spa experience. Or with staying in a five-star luxury hotel where we jokingly wonder “can I take the towels with me?” Or to give as a gift to someone else.
“We certainly chose a product that traditionally had been fairly ordinary,” adds Meredith. “When we settled on designing towels, a whole new world of design possibilities opened up.”
Were they worried about what their respective partners would say when told about their plans to quit their jobs and go into the towel business? “They were really supportive,” says Meredith. “Right from the beginning. They probably did talk to each other afterwards, but they really did believe in us from the start.”
The timing of BAINA’s launch into the market in 2019 was serendipitous. Where Covid’s impact saw some businesses and start-ups go south, being forced to stay at home for prolonged periods gave many of us the chance to take stock of the kind of objects we had accumulated inside our homes. We’d just spent the past few years decluttering courtesy of Marie Kondo and now was the perfect time to invest in objects and items that really did bring us genuine joy.
Prior to launching BAINA (the name is an amalgamation of the duo’s first names BAI-ley and AN-na), both Fahey and Meredith had worked in the fashion and interior design industries. It was the combination of both these sectors’ differing demands – the cyclical pressure of fashion and the increasingly considered approach to product development driving new Australian furniture designers – that helped shape the framework that would become BAINA’s philosophy of timeless quality. Fahey says both of them had longed to start their own business and brand together, one where they could channel their shared passion for lasting quality, elevated design and mindful manufacturing.
“We found ourselves gravitating towards the idea of a season-less product,” says Meredith. “Towelling provided the creative design outlet we craved, but in an application that was functional and inclusive. Through BAINA we could elevate the everyday object, finding design inspiration in fine art, sculpture, architecture and colour theory.”
But obviously there’s more to creating the perfect towel than just aesthetics. Even with their combined knowledge of textiles and sustainability in design, both Fahey and Meredith discovered a whole new world of detail and nuance as they began to develop a product that would meet the high bar they had set themselves. There’s texture, of course, because softness is key to making a towel pleasurable to use. But go too soft and it won’t work. Then there’s the kind of cotton used; the ply and even the weight of the fabric – both wet and dry – had to be considered.
“We knew that people are drawn to towels that feel soft and plush, but there are also functional needs,” says Meredith. “We needed the towels to absorb and dry quickly, while not taking up too much room in the washing machine.”
“We use 100 per cent Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified cotton,” adds Fahey. “The towels are made with a 2-ply twist. This is an extra detail in the weaving process, whereby two cotton fibres are twisted together making a rope-like yarn. This creates a higher absorbency, drawing moisture to the base of the towel, rather than ‘pushing it around’ like many conventional towels.”
Then there’s the ethical component, which the pair are considerably passionate about. Production is all done in a mill in Portugal, they explain, which has full transparency in its labour, health and safety as well as its environmental impact. Every step of production is done in the most environmentally friendly manner and new, more sustainable methods, such as the use of recycled fibres and eco-dying processes, are constantly explored.
This kind of thoughtful, design-led approach to something many of us take for granted challenges what is one of our more contrary habits as humans. We’ll buy something beautiful, well made and aesthetically pleasing, only to put it away and save it for a “special occasion”. BAINA’s utilitarian approach to a luxury-level product is a re-education. Why not invest in something practical that is also beautiful to look at? It also helps that one of the design principles on which BAINA is built is the more you use your towel, the better gets.
While the bath towel remains its cornerstone, BAINA covers the full range of drying-off items: from face cloths and bath mats to pool towels. All in the same subdued palettes and patterns that easily coordinate with one another. Fahey and Meredith were very clear on this point – this isn’t about products made for the moment, but about investing in something that will last a lifetime. Avoiding the usual seasonal releases, any new release is seen more as a complementary layer to the preceding one. “Introducing a new collection is always a considered and well thought through exercise,” says Fahey. “The design process always starts by looking at what exists in the collection and building upon what is already there.
“We see towelling as a way to layer colour and texture in the bathroom. Where traditional towelling sets can be monochromatic and quiet, BAINA explores both complementary and unexpected colour pairings. The design intent is to upend the neutrality of the bathing space.”