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Pool, Beach or Bathroom: 5 Reasons Why Your Next Towel Should Be A Købn
10/01/23
Author: Katelin Rice
DOCUMENTED BY: @kobn.au
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What’s the name for the stage of adulthood where you start to care about the quality of your towels and whether they suit your bathroom’s colour scheme? Because whatever that phase is, we’re in it.
Documented by: Købn
What’s the name for the stage of adulthood where you start to care about the quality of your towels and whether they suit your bathroom’s colour scheme? Because whatever that phase is, we’re in it.
If you’re there too, let’s trade Pinterest boards. If you’re yet to care about what’s hanging on your bathroom rack, this will inspire you to at least upgrade that one crusty towel you’ve had on rotation for the past three years.
Cue our current towelling muse: Australian textiles and lifestyle brand Købn. Founded by textile designer Sophie Matson, Købn is known for its design-led, responsibly made towels in stylish colourways. Made from soft, plush fabric, these towels are the opposite of the ones that are ready to be replaced (tips on how to responsibly do that at the end of this article!).
Ready to elevate your bathroom? Here are five reasons why your next towel should be a Købn.
The designs are inspired by some of Copenhagen’s coolest architecture
The designs are inspired by some of Copenhagen’s coolest architecture
After a trip overseas, you might expect to come home with new friends, a few extra stamps in your passport and an appreciation for a different cuisine. Sophie – who has over 15 years of experience working in the textile industry – came home with a solid vision for a towelling brand.
“I first visited Copenhagen in 2015 and was taken with the beauty of the streetscapes, waterfronts, architecture and the colours used in the buildings,” she explains. From Nyhavn, a 17th-century waterfront district lined with small wattle and daub houses with colourful exteriors to Gråbrødretorv, a historic square surrounded by bright yellow, orange and red buildings, Denmark’s capital is littered with colourful architecture.
The rows of houses in arrangements of unexpected colour palettes – even the shades between windows – inspired Købn’s first collection of teal, bright blue, salmon and cream towels. The city also influenced the brand’s name – Købn comes from the Danish word for Copenhagen; København.
Shades to uplift your mood and space
Nougat, mist, lilac, olive and clay: Købn has colours to match your interior style and mood.
Sophie used her knowledge of colour theory and her eye for design to inform the original range, continuing to play with unconventional arrangements in her collections since. “Colour is always the starting point for the range … and the way colour can affect one’s mood and emotions has always been important,” she says.
“Colour can trigger memories, inspire greater decisions and can update and overhaul an entire space – I’ve had customers purchase their towels while designing their home and change their tile selection to work with the towels.”
Picture the Umber Towel’s rich brown and red stripes against a cream basin, the Olive Towel adding a subtle touch to a polished concrete bathroom or the Lilac Towel laid out by the pool. Smooth and stylish, these colour combos will elevate any space.
Købn’s towels are ethically made by a family-run mill in Denizli, Turkey
Købn’s towels are ethically made by a family-run mill in Denizli, Turkey
All of Købn’s luxuriously soft towels are manufactured in Turkey, a country renowned for its quality towelling and one with a rich history in textile production dating back to the Ottoman Empire. “Turkey was an obvious choice for Købn for their quality and capabilities,” Sophie says.
Denizli – the region where the family-run mill is located – is also famous for its cotton production and for making traditional hammam towels. “I love the lightweight nature of these towels and it didn’t seem fitting to have this style replicated in another country. Their looms are designed to weave this weight and the option of working with a family-run mill felt much more personable and accessible. The quality of cotton and the final product is of a high standard, paired with important ethical and sustainability attributes.”
On that point, Købn’s products have the certifications to back up their sustainability claims
Nationally or internationally recognised certifications are one of the things we look for when a brand calls its products “sustainable” or “ethically made”. It means they’ve sought a third party to back up any claims they’re making about the impact of their products and processes.
Købn’s products carry OEKO-TEX®, SEDEX and GOTS certifications, offering greater transparency and ensuring ethical production, socially responsible working conditions and sustainable practices are met across all supply chains.
Documented By: @kobn.au
These towels are designed for every occasion
Pool, beach, bath – these towels do it all. They’re all reversible, with one side terry and one side plain weave, so they have excellent absorbency. That means you can rely on them whether you’re drying off after a shower or laying on the beach post-swim.
Sophie initially launched a range of poolside towels, designed to complement interior style. But she soon realised they had equal indoor and outdoor appeal. “Australian’s do indoor/outdoor living so well, with so many homes having the pool as the focal point of the entertaining area, both visible from inside and out,” she says.
“It pained me to see these beautifully designed areas with brightly coloured, garish ‘beach towels’ hanging over the pool fence in complete contrast to the stylised interior. There was a huge gap in the market for outdoor towels that were not overt in colour or design.
“Customers and stylists were using the towels indoors as well as out and the following year I expanded the offering to include hand towels and bathmats. The range is now sold with the end purpose of the towels up to the purchaser.”
How to responsibly dispose of your old towels
The last thing we want is to see your towels end up in landfill. If you’re planning to upgrade your collection, here’s what you can do with the towels you want to get rid of:
If they’re still in good condition, donate them to your local op shop or a women’s shelter, or see if any family or friends could use a few extras
If they’re worse for wear, donate them to animal shelters or local cleaning companies
Upcycle them for use around the house. You can cut them into smaller sizes to be used as dish towels or cleaning rags, or put aside a collection of old towels that can be used for things like washing the dog, drying the floors or protecting surfaces the next time you take on a DIY project around the house.
Use a service like Upparel to reuse and recycle them for you. This is a great option if you have other old items, like clothing, linen or shoes, that aren’t in good enough condition to donate. Recycling costs start from $25, which will allow you to send and recycle 10kg of textiles in one box.
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Documented By: @kobn.au
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