Tekla and Auralee collaborate on a collection inspired by the art of Japanese onsen bathing

The idea of winter bathing, of soaking in warm steaming pools or plunging into ice-cold waters, and perhaps finishing with a sauna at the end of it all, was the inspiration behind a new collaboration between Copenhagen-based label Tekla and Auralee, Ryota Iwai’s Tokyo fashion label which celebrated ten years in business earlier this year.

In particular, it was the ritual of the Japanese onsen – whereby bathers soak in the thousands of curative geothermal pools across the country – which informed the collection’s mood. ‘The collection is inspired by the experience of returning from an onsen on a cold evening and the desire to take its gentle warmth with you,’ say Tekla of the collaboration, which spans towels, sleepwear and enveloping outerwear (the brand is best known for its pyjamas, bed sets and home textiles, which are inspired by design titans from Alvar Aalto and Mies van der Rohe to Le Corbusier).

Tekla and Auralee unite on a collection made for winter bathing

‘The collection represents the intersection of Japanese and Scandinavian bathing practices and celebrates the rituals that connect us,’ Tekla founder and creative director Charlie Hedin tells Wallpaper*. In Denmark, where Tekla was founded in 2017, there is the tradition of the ‘havnebadet’, or ‘harbour bath’, a series of jetties across the country which allow bathers to jump into the sea or lakes, often followed by a lengthy stint in the sauna during the winter months.

‘Scandinavian winter bathing means being out in nature – in the sea or a lake,’ says Hedin, who can often be found swimming off the jetty at Copenhagen’s La Banchina, a waterside café and sauna in the city’s Refshaleøen neighbourhood. ‘It’s something that has been relevant to Tekla since the beginning, informing our core terry universe. This relationship with nature was a connecting point when it comes to the onsen bathing rituals that Auralee brought to the collaboration.’

Hedin and Iwai were also thinking about the role that textiles play in such bathing practices; how towels and robes become an essential element of the way you move through the onsen space. As such, the collection includes a special ‘onsen-sized’ version of Tekla’s terry towel, a narrow, elongated shape which is designed to be wrapped around the head and secured by threading one end of the towel through the canvas label which has been lengthened for the purpose.

Elsewhere, padded outerwear is designed to envelop the wearer and recalls the shape and softness of a robe, while a series of new knitted accessories include super-soft baby cashmere socks and a nightcap. Plays on Tekla’s pyjamas come in hazy shades of ‘moss’ and ‘mist’, a nod towards Iwai’s collections, where an intriguing use of colour verges towards pastels and gently washed-out hues, in oftentimes unexpected combinations. ‘You want to surround yourself with fabrics and materials that will inspire different emotions,’ says Hedin, noting a desire with this collection to evoke a feeling of ‘comfort and safety’.

‘I’m thrilled that what started from a few chance conversations has blossomed into this special project together,’ adds Iwai. ’On a personal note, the bathing ritual is what I love and value most, so finally being able to work on a project which celebrates this, along with the synergies between our brands and the cultures we come from has been incredible.’

The collection will be available from 30 October 2024 at Auralee Tokyo, Tekla Copenhagen and the brands’ websites, alongside selected partners.

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