When you imagine luxury, your mind may not immediately turn to the towel cupboard. But that’s exactly where Bailey Meredith and Anna Fahey, co-founders of Baina, believe relaxation and rejuvenation begins.

The best friends began their design journeys in the fashion and interiors industries, and in 2019 moved to refresh traditional bathware by creating Melbourne-based brand Baina.

“The towelling category is traditionally made up of two extremes – very simple, or over-designed,” Meredith tells Broadsheet. “We approach design ... inspired by architecture, sculpture and colour theory.”

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Their most recent major release, Collection 03, was born out of a trip to Sydney, where Meredith and Fahey were inspired by the retro wrought iron gates of Paddington terraced homes. The luxe cut-pile velour material brings out the deep mahogany tone of the new Greenwich Bath Towel, and the new incarnation of the Josephine Hand Towel is playfully reminiscent of deep-toned checkerboard sets. (The checkerboard design is a Baina signature.)

Baina uses organic and sustainable production methods. The plush, 100 per cent organic cotton towels are made in Portugal by a Global Organic Textile Standard-certified mill.

“We wanted Baina towels to have traceability and ensure the raw materials used to make them were regulated from harvest through to manufacture. From the outset, it was immensely important for us to be able to stand by our manufacturing and its environmental impact,” Fahey says.

This is a value shared by their new collaborators, Binu Binu. The modern soap maker takes inspiration from Korean public bathhouses. These spaces invite generations to gather, free of inhibition, and partake in the healing and rejuvenating processes of bathing.

Binu Binu’s soaps are made entirely of natural botanical ingredients and essential oils, without any animal products, sulfates or synthetic detergents and fragrances. For the project with Baina, they’re producing two new soaps. One is an ultra-gentle cleansing bar of rice milk and shea butter, and the other a sea salt and peppermint bar that’s an ode to the South Koran women of Jeju Island who free-dive to catch crustaceans.

Baina is bringing the same palette to its Josephine Hand Towel for the pairing: a sea-spray grey combined with a softly shining yellow to match each fragrant cleansing bar.

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