There is a specific kind of happiness in getting into a freshly made bed when it is dark at 5 p.m. That is the whole idea behind the second collaboration between Danish textile brand Tekla, known for its colorful bed linen and pajamas, and Tokyo fashion label Auralee. The collection launched October 28.
The inspiration
The brands' first collaboration was inspired by Japanese onsen bathing in the cool winter months. This one looks to friluftsliv, the Norwegian philosophy that life is better lived outdoors, whatever the weather, and to the pleasure of coming back inside afterward. "Growing up in Scandinavia, spending time outdoors in winter was a natural part of everyday life," Tekla founder and creative director Charlie Hedin told Wallpaper*. "The warmth of returning home is something that has always concerned Tekla, as we seek to create home clothing and use materials that inspire this comfort."
The partnership itself grew out of friendship. Tekla co-founder Kristoffer Juhl met Auralee founder Ryota Iwai through a mutual friend in Tokyo, and Iwai says the collaboration "grew completely naturally out of a close friendship."
For the bedroom
Tekla's signature percale bedding comes in a new soil brown colorway, with duvet covers and pillow shams in 200-thread-count organic cotton with a crisp feel. Brown bedding sounds risky until you see it. It looks warm under lamplight, hides the everyday wear that white shows instantly, and makes a pale bedroom feel less stark.
The piece we keep coming back to is the lambswool blanket, striped in what the brands call Auralee's "signature pale and muted tones." Each one is woven in Lithuania, brushed for softness and finished with whipstitched edges. The blankets are the priciest pieces in the collection, at €390.
To wear at home (and out)
The clothing is where Auralee's touch shows most. There is knitwear in superfine wool and cashmere: ribbed cardigans and sweaters in soil brown and forest green, with matching neck warmers and gloves. It is also the first time Tekla has offered knitwear. The brushed organic cotton flannel pajama pieces come in a "Dawn Checks" pattern of washed purple and orange, inspired by early morning skies, and they are designed, like much of Tekla's sleepwear, to be worn out of the house too, so the flannel shirt works with jeans on a Saturday. The two-tone shearling slippers, pieced in beige and pale green, are the indulgence. And the vivid blue knee-high cotton socks are the one playful piece in the lineup, at around £45 a pair.
Where to get it
The collection is sold at teklafabrics.com, auralee.jp, Tekla's Copenhagen and Marylebone stores, Auralee Tokyo and selected retailers. Prices run from small accessories at around €32 up to the blankets, and none of it is cheap, so check the product pages before you commit to a full set.
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Our take
If you buy one thing, make it the blanket. It will live on the couch, then the bed, then the couch again, and it is the piece you will notice every single day this winter. If the budget is smaller, the socks are a charming, giftable way into the collection, and the kind of thing that makes a gray January morning a little brighter.
