/design/
Photographs by Idam Adam
Sheets on the Line is a bed linen store with a difference. They have an exquisite range of ethically sourced and manufactured products that boast style and longevity. After successfully running an online store, founders Debra and Steven Clifford-Ames took the plunge and officially opened their first shopfront this month. When I went to meet Debra and Steven in their new Paddington store I was greeted by a room full of creature comforts you could only dream of (pun intended) and the soothing sound of The Velvet Underground‘s Sunday Morning…I was thoroughly impressed.
Sheets on the Line combine luxurious quality with simplistic designs to create a bedding range that would fit perfectly into any home. Debra says this was always an important aspect of Sheets on the Line, “We wanted to create something that was an everyday luxury and that was transportable, that we could manufacture and have control over… it just evolved from there”.
Since starting Sheets on the Line, both Debra and Steven have remained active in the sourcing and manufacturing process. Steven says ensuring their products are ethically sourced is a core ethos of their brand, “For us looking after it from manufacture right through to selling was really important because we wanted full control over quality”. Steven says, as an environmentally conscious brand, they use Global Organic Textiles Standards approved suppliers whenever they can. “We were aware of how damaging conventional cotton could be to grow and manufacture but one of the things we chose to do was go to a GOTS approved supplier which ensures that everything is done ethically”.
But, as a relatively young company it isn’t always possible to use certified suppliers. Debra explains, “Where we haven’t been able to source from certified organic suppliers it’s because some manufacturers are quite small and organic certification is a really big deal and also a very expensive process. But we do ensure that they produce the products in best practice”. Steven says, as their business grows, they hope to change this. “Our goal is to get to a point where the brand has grown enough to make sure that every product, no matter what, is manufactured ethically. This is something that our suppliers are very keen to do too. Suppliers want to work with brands that are trying to reach a standard instead of keeping down to purely a price point.”
While Debra and Steven have been diligent in maintaining ethical standards, they have also created designs with a sense of Scandinavian simplicity that reflect nature, architecture and architectural properties. Some of their unique designs include the ‘Breeze Block’ collection which is vaguely reminiscent of Florence Broadhurst’s Chinese Key print in both its geometric pattern and timeless elegance.
Debra says that lasting design is incredibly important, “being such a young company, when we commit to a print or design, it’s a big commitment. So that ensures we really like it and it has longevity if we are going to produce five kilometres of it”. Steven agrees, “You really don’t want buyer’s remorse”. Debra says this has also ensured the quality of their new range, “We are launching a 100% linen product which is very exciting. It’s been under development for two years because we didn’t want the linen to be substandard; we wanted it to be as soft as cotton”.
Sheets on the Line’s combination of timeless design, reasonable prices and an environmental conscience have pushed the status-quo and created a very promising change in the bed linen industry.
For more information about Sheets on the Line head over to their website, Instagram and Facebook.
Or pop into their store at 201 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington.
