The sheet society has dropped a range of corduroy bedding
WORDS BY MAEVE KERR-CROWLEY
Bring your aesthetic all the way to bed.
For the last couple of years, corduroy has been having a well-deserved moment back in the spotlight.
With everything from corduroy pants, jackets and skirts, to corduroy sneakers hitting stores, its influence in the fashion sphere is hard to escape. But once you’ve fully embraced a trend this gargantuan and crammed it into every possible inch of your wardrobe, where do you go next?
An entire corduroy bedding set, apparently.
Australian linen brand The Sheet Society has embraced the ’70s aesthetic wholeheartedly with its new Darcy Corduroy collection, made entirely from corduroy.
When I first heard the words ‘corduroy bedding’, I must say I was pretty sceptical about it too. But upon browsing the collection for myself, I am happy to confirm it’s an inspired and clever move, tapping into the emotional response that only a nostalgic, fashion-led textile like corduroy can prompt.
It’s a bold choice, but guess it’s also unsurprising from a brand that was founded on the premise of translating fashion trends for your bedroom. Before founding the company with her husband Andy in 2017, Hayley Worley was in the business of fashion and clothing production, experiencing the whirlwind of trends up close.
“I fell out of love with the fast fashion side of things, but still really wanted to be involved with fabrics and colours and textures,” she explains. “I remember shopping for blush pink when that was really popular and wanting to wear it every day, but also wanting to sleep in it.”
For Hayley, that sparked an idea to create a brand of bed sheets that could be built upon over time, just like your wardrobe. “You can mix and match, and express yourself in the same way you would putting an outfit together, but for your bed.”
Just as she repurposed blush pink at the beginning of her brand, she’s now applying this philosophy to corduroy.
The stiff, sturdy fabric your mum dressed you in as a kid probably doesn’t mesh with your idea of a comfortable night’s sleep. But the textile used for the Darcy collection is a plush, more softly-textured incarnation, that has been developed from a 100 per cent cotton corduroy. The ribbed texture comes from what’s called a ‘cut pile yarn’ which gives the range its velvety softness.
The range of pillowcases and quilt covers are available in five of The Sheet Society’s bestselling colours – terracotta, moss green, blush pink, dove grey and nude. Sticking to these signature colours has meant the brand’s corduroy pieces can be easily paired with its other ranges in either matching or contrasting colours.
The best part – at least according to someone with a double bed and queen size quilt combo that makes linen shopping a nightmare (me) – is that everything is sold as separates, rather than sets.
Hayley notes there are multiple reasons for this. Firstly, it’s more fun to be able to mix colours and textiles to suit your bedroom’s aesthetic. But as she explains, it’s also pretty practical.
“I hate going to a department store and having to buy a sheet set, and then having this flat sheet that you never really use,” says Hayley. “And I remember going away for the weekend and taking a quilt and a pillow, but then losing a pillow and thinking, ‘well I can’t use this quilt cover anymore.’
“One of our values is ‘no bullshit’, so we’re not going to sell you something you don’t need.”
This aversion to bullshit is possibly why the brand has found so many loyal, repeat customers in its short three years. The brand’s focus on detail is also cited by many an excited Instagram commenter, thanks to touches like extra deep pillowcase folds, a quilt cover that features a handy zipper closure rather than your standard ten buttons, and fitted sheets that are designed to suit thicker-than-average mattresses.
“We’re quite affordable, and we’re also marketing to a younger demographic,” Hayley adds. “Before having the business, you would go into a place like Adairs or something, and you’d drop $400 on something you just hated the least. You didn’t love it, but it was filling a job.”
This younger, more authentic approach to bedrooms also extends to the brand’s marketing and digital strategy. Veering away from picturesque, suspiciously creaseless bed shots, The Sheet Society’s feed is filled with pictures of relatable, messy beds occupied by models, babies and dogs. Hayley also cites cheeky ‘change your sheets’ callouts to customers, intended to make them laugh and feel seen.
As she points out, “It’s always in the back of your mind like, ‘Fuck, I should wash my sheets’.” (Side note, I should probably wash my sheets.)
As far as future releases, Hayley promises new colours and another exciting, textural fabric for spring and summer.
“It’s all about tactile fabrics for us at the moment. We’re not into the loud prints or anything like that. It’s all just really warming and comforting.”
The Darcy Corduroy collection is available here to pre-order online now.
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