Minimalist bedding with a conscience: Q&A with Undercover

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have heard me talk about Undercover and their minimalist bedding before. Undercover are an exciting, new name to know about – they produce bold, contemporary bed linen that’s both stylish and sustainable.

Designed in London and produced by a family-owned factory in Portugal, Undercover’s designs are made of an eco-friendly blend of high-quality cotton and Tencel. Tencel is clever because it’s made from sustainably-grown botanicals such as FSC certified eucalyptus and other plant pulps. The revolutionary yarn holds the European Award for the Environment from the EU and is biodegradable and compostable. Not only does it make for a silky smooth and lightweight fabric, Tencel is also strong and durable as well as breathable and anti-bacterial.

Undercover’s minimalist bedding range is comprised of three eye-catching collections, each defined by clean lines, a modern expression and contrasting colours. My favourite is the light grey Jane set with the spotty pillows, as seen in the pictures here. I love that Undercover’s designs are so versatile – you don’t necessarily have to have everything matching, you can mix and match different combinations to suit your own style. Pillows and duvets are also reversible so you can enjoy two looks for one.

Below, I chat to founder Miriam Tyrangiel about the ethos behind the brand, the textile industry’s environmental impact and sustainability, and why we should look beyond plain white bedding.

How did you get to where you are today and what made you want to start Undercover?

I spent a lot of time trying to find great quality bed linen that wasn’t just boring plain white. My background is in brand consultancy and I’ve always had this itch to start my own brand. I love both the commercial and creative side of running Undercover and working on something that I can really get behind.

What is the ethos behind the brand?

The brand ethos is style and sustainability first and foremost. On the one hand, it’s about design, which to us means bold colours, contrast and contemporary prints. And at the same time, it’s about producing something with uncompromising quality and care that’s made to last. We want people to feel amazing in our sheets when they go to sleep and when they wake up. That’s why we spent a long time exploring fabrics and choosing the right factory to work with. We decided to use Tencel, which is a natural and eco-friendly alternative to cotton with lots of fantastic benefits. Finally, by selling directly to the consumer through our website we can offer our products at a much better price than if we were stocked with established retailers.

What does a typical day look like for you at Undercover?

We only launched this year so I’m involved in all aspects of the business. I might start the day by checking our social media and reviewing some stats for our online ad campaigns. Next I might do some spreadsheet work to reconcile the warehouse stock. I’ll then check some fabric swatches that have arrived and give feedback to our factory. Finally, I might do some planning for an upcoming event.

Can you tell us a bit more about Tencel, what makes it so special?

Tencel is made from trees like eucalyptus and is considered a bit of a wonder fibre. It’s incredibly soft and breathable and has great environmental credentials. That’s because Tencel requires far less water and pesticides to grow than cotton and is produced in a closed loop, meaning water and solvents are re-used at a rate of 99%. Tencel is more expensive than cotton, which is why most manufacturers don’t use it.

How is sustainability important to you and Undercover?

The textile industry is quite polluting unfortunately however consumers are more and more receptive to making greener choices. So I think there’s a huge opportunity to offer something that’s both well designed and better for our planet. We want to make it easy for someone to make the sustainable choice. Besides using Tencel, we also only use recyclable materials in all our packaging (and no plastic!) and print on recycled paper. It was really important to us to ensure the bed linen are ethically made so we manufacture in Portugal at a factory that’s still family-run.

What has the reception been like since starting Undercover and showcasing at designjunction?

We’ve really hit the ground running since launching this Spring. First and foremost people get excited about our designs, and when they find out that it’s also eco-friendly that’s even better. We’ve been so lucky to have had some nice press early on, which has really helped.

What do you hope the future holds for Undercover?

We’ve got three designs at the moment and I’d love to expand our range and reach. I think there’s so much potential, we’ve only scratched the surface!

Thank you so much for chatting to me Miriam!

What do you think? For me, their designs just go to show that you don’t have to compromise on style to be more sustainable at home. I love Undercover’s attention to detail, from the plastic-free packaging and the little reusable pouches that the bedding comes in to the neat piping around each piece and the bold, graphic brand identity. I’ve had a chance to road test a duvet set now and I can say that the fabric really is super soft and wonderfully tactile to touch. I’m just amazed that a yarn can be made from botanicals like eucalyptus! Kind to the skin, kind to the home and kind to the environment.

You can check out Undercover’s beautiful range of minimalist bedding at undercoverliving.com and find them on Instagram @undercoverliving. Prices start from £40 for two pillowcases, from £60 for a fitted sheet, from £120 for a duvet cover and from £150 for a set. 

All images courtesy Undercover