It might seem simple, but a really good towel makes a difference. High quality materials that offer a soft hand feel but doesn’t skimp on absorbency is the key. But for all the luxury that a new towel brings, there’s nothing worse than when they start to get rough and scratchy.
Hommey Founder (and chief comfort officer) Justin Kestelman has the solution. “Here’s our secret sauce: warm machine wash, with little to no detergent but add white vinegar. A warm tumble dry is recommended,” he says. “Using detergent is not recommended because it coats the fibres of the towel and gives that ‘crispy’ effect after washing.” Some people also swear by adding tennis balls into your dryer to help maintain the fluffy feel.

Baina
Antipodean brand Baina set a new standard for towels when it launched in 2019. Signature chequered styles are seen strewn across city beaches and maximalist bathrooms alike. The growing range of striped and textured pieces caters to all interiors – the common factor is sustainably sourced cotton terry that dries well and elevates everyday rituals. The brand recently added bath robes to its offering; good luck getting dressed in the morning now.

Mungo
Available from Auckland boutique Everyday Needs, Mungo is a family company based in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, and is the country's first Global Organic Textile Standard-certified textile weaving mill. Each Mungo textile on antique 19th-century Hattersley looms before they're woven from high-quality natural fibres. The brand makes tea towels, aprons and throws, but we've got our eye on its Summer towel for the warmer season in pure cotton with a light speckled weave, or the Bijou bath towel in light pastel yellow.

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Tekla
Copenhagen-based company Tekla was founded in 2017 to create contemporary and stylish fabrics for bathing, sleeping and living. It's stocked at Simon James in Aotearoa, which carries several organic cotton towel styles in various shades and patterns. We like the pairing of Lavender with Kodiak Brown, or the blue and black stripe for adding interest to a white bathroom.

Hommey
Hommey’s beach towels and robes have become firm favourites from the brand, but the extended bathroom range now includes sumptuous bath sheets, classic towels, face washers and hand towels in 11 colours. Each piece is made from a dense 700gsm cotton that is super absorbent, so you’ll be dry in no time. Long piles give an extra soft hand feel that’s like a hug.

Bed Threads
Genevieve Rosen-Biller founded Bed Threads in 2017 after not being able to find quality sheets in colours that she loved. A few years later, the brand applied the same principles to bathroom essentials, launching a range of French flax linen towels to complement your linen cupboard. The lightweight waffle styles are quick-drying and soften with age. Buy them bundled in colours like olive and sage green, charcoal and rust. You can even get matching robes to complete your set.

Missoni Home
For a luxurious gift to your own bathroom – or someone else's – it's hard to go past the colourful towels from the home brand of Italian fashion house Missoni. They're stocked in several stores around the country, including Mount Maunganui's Sisters & Co, Little & Fox in Napier and Tessuti in Auckland. The brand does do a restrained cream colourway, but we think it's much more fun to go all out with zig-zags of contrasting colour in rainbow shades.

Kobn
Textile designer Sophie Matson launched Kobn in 2017 with a range of thoughtfully designed towels. The brand has since expanded to include interior accessories, such as candles, incense and cushions that echo the same artisanal sentiment. But it’s the collection of earth-hued bathroom essentials that keep us coming back. Fill your linen cupboard with Turkish-made pieces in organic cotton, which are finished with contrasting stripes and raw fringing.

Saarde
Sydney lifestyle brand Saarde delivers elevated simplicity through its collection of home and body products. And its towels are a real treat. The Chickpea collection brings subtle texture to the mix, maintaining softness and absorbency thanks to premium Turkish cotton. The Cocoon styles are finished with a waffle effect, while vintage wash pieces have one flat woven side and a short terry pile on the other. A limited edition pool towel designed in collaboration with artist Nastia Gladushchenko adds Mediterranean cool to your beach bag.

Citta
New Zealand furniture and homewares company Citta was founded by Margot Acland in 1989 and is now based in Mount Eden, Auckland with an in-house design team who create anything you could need for your home. This includes several ranges of chic bath towels like the organic cotton Aalto towel in a textured waffle weave; the sweet floral Forget Me Not bath towel; and the Jacquard bath towel range - which we like in the colour Moss.

Ottoloom
Designed in New Zealand and made in Turkey, Ottoloom specialises in luxurious, handmade towels made from organic Turkish cotton and linen on traditional wooden shuttle looms – which gives them a textural, hand-loved look and feel. We're eyeing the Paros bath sheet, which comes in a blue and teal stripe, and the neutral linen bath towels. Ottoloom also does towel sets, and the brand's online store stocks several beautiful styles of towel by Japanese company Kontex.

Sage & Clare
Linen cupboard essentials don’t have to be boring; add Sage & Clare’s colourful bath sheets, tongue-in-cheek Nudie Rudie bath mats and floral face washers into the mix to brighten things up. Soft terry and woven waffle textures feel dreamy against the skin. And no one will be confused about whose towel is whose if you take the brand’s signature mix-and-match approach to kitting out your bathroom.

Cultiver
Designed in Sydney and made in Portugal, Cultiver uses quality flax linen from Belgium and France to produce its bathroom collection. Elegant, natural colours fit in with contemporary finishes, while delicate fringes add a homey touch. A small range of recycled denim towels speak to a sustainable ethos, which underpins the brand’s entire home offering. These styles offer a weightier hand feel at 500gsm but still dry quickly.

In Bed
Out of bed, In Bed’s bath collection is just as chic as its beloved sheets and throws. Made from organic cotton, the Sydney brand’s range comes in plain and striped iterations each season. Matching robes round out the bath collection – it's time to dial up the self-care routine.

Yoli
The sister brand of furniture and homewares company En Gold, Yoli offers sumptuous additions to your towel rack. At 800gsm, these plush styles come in three classic colours: snow white, forest green and sand beige. Shop individual pieces or choose a set, which includes two generous-sized bath towels, as well as a coordinating hand towel and bath mat.

Shop more of our favourite beach towels as swimming weather gears up.

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