Our New Favourite Homeware Brand Was Created By A Dubai Expat
These chic bed linens and pyjamas were inspired by her time in the Middle East
When Jessica Mason returned to the UK from Dubai, she struggled to find bedsheets and linens that were both stylish and comfortable. Her brand, Piglet, uses a digital first model, with the collection now available in the UAE for the first time. She tells Harper’s Bazaar Arabia why she’s chosen to work with linens for luxury that’s still environmentally-friendly.
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia: What led you to create Piglet?
Jessica Mason: When I moved home to the UK from Dubai at the end of 2015, I knew that I wanted to use the marketing and brand building experience I had gained there working with some really wonderful brands to start my own ecommerce company. A year later I was starting Piglet with my fingers crossed that I wasn’t alone in looking for high quality basics for my home that are as cosy as they are beautiful. We started tiny – with just linen duvet covers and pillowcases in a few calming colours – and have since grown the brand to include much more bedding, sleepwear, table linens, gifts and accessories.
HB: Where do you draw inspiration from for your collections?
JM: Our business is based in a very rural part of West Sussex in the English countryside. From the colour palette of our products to the materials we source from, we derive inspiration from the natural environment that surrounds us.
HB: Why use linen?
JM: Almost everything we make is made using the highest quality natural stonewashed linen. The production of linen is considered to be more sustainable than cotton because it is farmed in small batches, using little to no pesticides.
As well as being super soft and looking great, one of the best things about linen bedding is how it works to regulate the body’s temperature while we sleep. Its long natural fibres are extremely moisture absorbent so that we stay very dry while we sleep. This is key in avoiding those temperature fluctuations in the night that can so often happen when we oscillate between the heat and the air conditioning. Our customers tell us all the time that they sleep more deeply and soundly through the night once they have made the switch from cotton to linen.
Piglet White Linen Duvet Cover and Pillowcase
Photography by Nicole Bachman
HB: Who shops Piglet?
JM: While the women who shop from us care about the latest interiors trends and colours, they are conscious of the sustainability of their shopping choices and prioritise finding products that they will love for many years. With this customer in mind, we have designed our range of bedding, sleepwear and table linen to be extremely durable, low maintenance (we recommend not ironing your bedding to get that perfect effortless look!), and to get softer and softer with wear.
HB: Why are you excited about launching in the UAE?
JM: I have loved coming back to the UAE every now and again since moving home and seeing the emergence of so many cool coffee shops as well as architecture and design businesses. I think that Piglet will resonate well in such a creative market while also offering a more laid back aesthetic that isn’t always easy to find. We ship our products all over the world so customers across the rest of the region will also be able to shop from us.
HB: What three key pieces do you think every stylish Middle Eastern home needs? What is your personal favourite product from the collection?
JM: I would recommend starting off with one of our bedding bundles. These sets are available in all of our colours – my favourite is our sage green – and include sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers.
Once you have made the switch away from cotton you may well find it hard to go back so I would suggest adding pyjamas to your collection so that you are fully wrapped in linen! Our super comfortable pyjamas are a little oversized to offer an elegant yet relaxed look.
Finally, I would add one of our new linen throws to the end of your bed to complete the look.
Piglet Sage Green Linen Duvet Cover and Pillowcase
Photography by Nicole Bachman
HB: What’s important to look for when shopping for timeless homeware items?
JM: I think the most important thing is to look for high-quality materials that will last. Traditionally, mothers would pass linens down to their daughters and we are very excited to be moving back towards this kind of tradition and heritage. Naturally, we also want to love how our homes look, so I would recommend giving some thought to how new linens might fit in with the overall colour scheme of your home.
HB: As a former expat, what items make your house a home?
JM: When I moved back from Dubai I gave away a lot of my stuff in an effort to make the move home a little easier. It probably was the sensible thing to do and there was definitely a sense of lightness in not owning too much, but I do find myself thinking all the time about all of the books I gave away! A library of books that you build up gradually over the years is for me the real difference between a house and home.