An homage to Malibu’s sun, sand and surf, our spring bedding collection invites you to slow down and savor the moment. Classic stripes and breezy, effortless layering pieces bring a Golden State of mind to wherever you call home. Shot on location near Solstice Canyon, Amy Hoban, our Creative Director, shares the story behind these new designs – and how to style sun-drenched stripes at home.
The Design
Why did you center on Malibu for this new bedding collection – and how did it influence your designs?
Amy Hoban:Malibu is the quintessential beach town. Located only a few miles up the coast from Parachute’s Venice Beach headquarters, Malibu is synonymous with surf, sand and the great outdoors. Our newest bedding styles capture the light and breezy qualities we’ve come to associate with the seaside town.
There’s a strong association between stripes and the beach. How did you approach these products with a fresh take?
Amy:The stripes were inspired by shirting fabrics that you might wear on holiday. We wanted to offer a look that’s reminiscent of summertime and vacation.
Meghan McGrady, Product Development Manager:Stripes immediately remind me of the beach – hello striped umbrellas and towels! We wanted to bring those iconic aspects of summer into the home for everyday use.
The Styling
How did you design these new products to fit with Parachute’s existing range of products?
Amy:We always try to tie the colors back to the core fabrications, whether it’s linen or our cotton Percale and Sateen weaves. We design so that a customer can pair new sheets with their existing Parachute items, keeping the color story consistent.
Meghan:Parachute customers love grey and tonal looks. When designing the Striped Linen Quilt, we decided to give the people what they wanted and introduced smoke (light grey) and natural (tan) striped colorways.
What are your favorite ways to mix these new stripes with our solid colored bedding?
Amy:I love mixing the taupe stripe percale sheets with white bedding for an ultra-sophisticated look. The grey stripe percale paired with a coal or fog linen duvet also tells a really interesting story – it’s a very high contrast look!
Styling advice! When are stripes too many stripes? Can you use the striped Percale bedding and the striped reversible quilt together or only separately?
Amy:I would recommend styling them separately. The Striped Quilt is very textural, which gives it a distinct look on its own.
Meghan:There’s minimalism and maximalism in design. If you are going to go big, I recommend keeping your stripes in the same color family.
The Photo Shoot
The Design Team traveled to Big Sur and then to Malibu to shoot our spring bath and bedding collections. Why did you choose these locales, specifically? How does being on location enhance the mood or tone of the images?
Hilary Sherman, Art Director:We wanted to shoot in Big Sur and Malibu to capture the essence – and inspiration – behind the collections. We needed the woodsy, oceanside scenery of Big Sur and the crisp sea air of Malibu to be referenced in every shot. For this reason, we chose locations with floor to ceiling windows and breathtaking views.
What places come to mind when you think of the ‘Bu?
Amy:The beaches! The Surfrider, Point Dume and the Malibu Pier always come to mind. I also love the Getty Villa.
Meghan:A good meal al fresco at Malibu Farm is about as Malibu as it gets.
Hillary:I grew up in L.A., so I have many childhood memories of getting sandwiches at John’s Garden, building bonfires on the beach and hiking Solstice Canyon. When I moved away for a period of time, the first thing I would do when I landed is take a drive along PCH to smell the ocean air and take in the expansive coastline.
[Ed. note: The Striped Percale Sheet Set has sold out.]