By Arabella Peterson Bedding 27.07.2025

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Our Cotton Campaign

How our team brought this new chapter to life – from concept to creation.

After eight years of perfecting just one fibre – our signature 100% French flax linen – we’ve taken everything we’ve learned and poured it into something new: Cotton. But not just any cotton. Crafted from GOTS Certified 100% Organic Cotton and woven into a crisp percale, our newest bedding range is breathable, buttery-soft from the first sleep, and thoughtfully designed to meet the same exacting standards you’ve come to expect from us.

Launching a new category after nearly a decade as a linen-only brand was no small feat. It took more than two years of development, dozens of fabric trials, and countless nights spent sampling and testing – not to mention entirely new colourways, packaging, and creative direction. But the result is something we’re incredibly proud of: an elevated, all-season cotton range that feels both comfortingly familiar and completely fresh.

To celebrate the arrival of our biggest launch since, well, launch – we asked the team behind the Cotton campaign to reflect on the process. Over in New York, our Head of Brand Steph Squadrito brought the Cotton collection to the bedrooms of some of the city’s most stylish people, capturing the fabric’s versatility in real-life spaces.

Back in Sydney, our Creative Director Charlotte Matters headed up the team of creatives pulling the campaign together end-to-end. Photographer Benito Martin captured the studio product imagery, highlighting the intricate details of the fabric’s weave and softness. He also flew to the Northern Rivers for our first tour in The Makers series featuring Cotton bedding – photographed in Olive Cooke’s dreamy, self-designed home. Photographer Drew Wheeler and stylist Emmaly Stewart teamed up to create the core campaign imagery, shot in light-filled, architectural homes across Sydney. Graphic designer Diandra Malivindi brought the campaign to life through beautiful assets and scroll-stopping visuals.

From creative direction to shoot-day memories, styling inspiration to favourite colour combos, here’s everything that went into making our Cotton dreams a reality.

The vision behind the launch

The launch of Cotton marked a fresh chapter for Bed Threads – one that felt both exciting and deeply intentional. “The vision was to introduce a whole new era for Bed Threads,” says Charlotte, “one rooted in the same premium quality and aesthetic we’re known for, but with a completely new fibre. We wanted Cotton to feel fresh, clean, and elevated. Not just a new product, but a thoughtful progression of the brand.” That evolution extended beyond the product itself, with the team stepping into bold new territory. “Trying so many different things for the first time – launching our first global out-of-home campaign, doing a full-scale PR launch in Australia, hosting two events… it’s all been such fun new territory to explore,” says Steph Squadrito. “Hopefully we can build on these things in future.”

For Diandra Malivindi, the most memorable moment was the launch itself: “The combination of seeing our team’s hard work come to life and watching it be so warmly welcomed by our community felt so rewarding.” The campaign’s creative direction, too, reflected a considered shift. “Personally, I love working with clients on these long-range campaigns,” says Drew. “Together with Emmaly and Charlotte, I think we were able to bring a full range of imagery that bridges both art and commerce for Bed Threads.”

Some behind-the-scenes shots from the campaign location in Waverly.

Crisp, clean, and considered creative direction

The creative direction for Cotton was a purposeful evolution – fresh, crisp, and unmistakably Bed Threads. “Fresh. A little different from linen, but still very Bed Threads,” says Steph. “The word ‘crisp’ keeps coming to mind when I look at the imagery. It’s not just the texture of the cotton, but a feeling we want to evoke through the whole campaign of being not only comfortable but truly luxurious.” That sensibility was reflected in the styling, which Charlotte describes as “all about structure, light, and modern simplicity. Cotton is inherently crisp and clean, so we leaned into that through natural daylight, pared-back but poppy styling, and strong contrasts.”

Photographer Benito, a long-time collaborator, saw this as a natural shifting of the brand’s visual language. “Having worked with BT for such a long time, I feel like the aesthetic has evolved and grown with the brand,” he says. “We tried to go a little more contemporary with the new Cotton range – a little fresher and crisper with the lighting.” Emmaly brought the look to life through considered styling. “It was a total pleasure sourcing beautiful furniture and homewares from great suppliers to complement the new range and colours,” she says.

Beyond the visuals, the tone of voice also marked a shift. “The messaging for this campaign was where we really got to have fun,” says Charlotte. “From the beginning, we knew we wanted the language to feel clever, universal, and emotionally resonant.” The payoff was worth the wait: “Seeing a completely new category come to life after two years of development was incredibly rewarding,” she adds. “We’ve spent so long refining the product behind the scenes.”

Styling Cotton for every kind of home

When it came to shooting the Cotton campaign, the team knew the settings needed to reflect the fabric’s crisp, elevated feel – while showcasing its versatility across different styles of home. “For the bedroom shoots, I wanted to showcase cotton in different homes,” says Steph. “Whether you live in a sprawling family home in the Byron hinterland, a NYC loft, or a terrace in London, our cotton colours will look amazing and be your favourite thing to come home to.”

Some behind-the-scenes shots from the campaign location in Waverly.

That sense of global, lived-in beauty informed the choice of locations. “We chose spaces that felt light-filled and architectural, with texture and character,” explains Charlotte. “We definitely wanted the locations to feel different from what we normally shoot at for Linen.” Photographer Drew echoes this, noting that variety was key: “Together with Charlotte, I feel we wanted to provide the brand with a variety of locations to help bridge the customer into the rooms and get a good feel of the product. I loved working with Emmaly, who had some beautiful and quite colourful pops of styling to help elevate the campaign and bring some fun into the rooms.”

For stylist Emmaly, balance was essential. “The two locations were very different but both shared the minimal aesthetic,” she says. “Propping was then kept to a minimum and I used sculptural pieces like armchairs and lamps that could stand alone in the spaces.”

Behind the scenes on set

Behind the scenes, the Cotton shoot was one of the most ambitious Bed Threads productions to date – and one of the most rewarding. “The Cotton shoot days were some of our biggest to date,” says Charlotte. “Launching with eight colours was no small feat... the energy on set was amazing, it was the kind of creative buzz that only happens when everyone’s excited about what they’re creating.” That excitement carried through the entire shoot schedule, which spanned multiple locations and styles. “The shoot days were all dramatically different,” recalls photographer Drew.

“We worked over some five to six days together... some niche and architecturally interesting locations to work with, along with some other difficult locations to light.” For stylist Emmaly, the Surry Hills shoot brought its own logistical surprises. “The location was a great space but smaller than I expected! A few armchairs had to be taken back to the suppliers as they did not fit up the stairs,” she laughs. Thankfully, her trusted assistants, Lauren and Katja, kept everything running smoothly. While the work was full-on, there was plenty of fun to be had. “We just have such a fun time. It’s just like going to work with all of your best mates,” says Benito. “One of my most memorable times shooting Cotton was almost being stranded at the Gold Coast airport when Sydney was facing the infamous bomb cyclone!”

Campaign highlights around the world

The Cotton campaign was filled with standout moments – both big and small – that captured the team’s pride in the work and the brand’s growing global presence. For Steph Squadrito, one shoot stood out in particular: “The shoot at Melanie Masarin’s home was special for me... The resulting imagery was truly beautiful – it was so warm and dreamy and totally evocative of Melanie's style.” Meanwhile, Charlotte reflects on the campaign’s wider impact. “The printed catalogue and global OOH (Out of Home – billboards, paste up posters etc.) campaigns were the standout moments for me,” she says. “Seeing lines like ‘Sheets to Cancel Plans For’ and ‘The City That Never Sleeps Sleeps in Bed Threads.’ across trains, tubes, and city streets worldwide was a proud reminder that our creative could resonate globally.” That sentiment was shared by many on the team. “I also really loved all the hard work that went into the OOH campaign,” adds photographer Benito. “The taglines are great and really eye-catching.”

Some behind-the-scenes photos from the studio shoot.

For Diandra, one moment stood above the rest. “There was something so special about seeing our Bed Threads mural sitting high in the New York city skyline,” she says. Emmaly agrees: “I love seeing the images on trains and billboards, especially the painted advertisement in New York. Also, I’ve loved seeing the BTS of the shoots – the social team has done such a good job of putting the videos together.” For Drew, seeing the campaign land in familiar surroundings will be a highlight still to come. “It’s always nice to have OOH work used in places like New York and London,” he says. “But I’m looking forward to seeing it on the trains in my home city of Sydney.”

Team Cotton’s favourite colour combos

There are some clear favourites emerging within the creative team here in Australia. While Aegean, Apple, Berry and Moss are making waves in Europe and North America as the summer heat calls for airy, nature-inspired shades, things look a little different down under. Here, it’s all about leaning into the cosiness of winter with rich, indulgent shades like Espresso, Butterscotch and Vanilla. Naturally, Crisp White is a favourite worldwide.

Steph calls Espresso, Berry and Vanilla her “dream combo”, while Charlotte laughs, “Everyone jokes that I have become Espresso and Vanilla, because my whole wardrobe is basically those two colours.” Emmaly and Diandra have had their fingers hovering over the ‘add to cart’ button for the same combo. “It’s so decadent, full of warmth, and reminds me of Tiramisu – it’s a no-brainer for me,” says Diandra. Drew is usually drawn to bright, colourful combinations, but this time Butterscotch and Vanilla had his name all over it. And finally, Benito says, “I’m a Crisp White guy all the way!”