CULT SHOP
The bespoke striped fabrics coveted by Beata Heuman and Gwyneth Paltrow.
For Louisa Tratalos, it all started with a dog bed. In 2022, she was searching for a specific stripy material with which to upholster the bedding of her new rescue terrier Patch, but came up short. ‘I realised that it’s a minefield,’ she says. ‘You’ve always got to compromise on something, whether it’s the width or the colour of the stripe.’ Instead, she asked her father, who runs a textile factory in Arley, Cheshire, to produce her chosen design: thin lines of postbox-red and sky-blue.
At the time, Tratalos was working as an interiors photographer for brands such as Soho House, and took a chic snap of the finished product to post online. ‘My friends were messaging me immediately, saying, “I need this. Where did you get it from?”’ she recalls. ‘I saw an opportunity not just for a product that was missing from the market, but to do something I loved.’ Her father signed on to be her manufacturer and she launched Colours of Arley the same year.
She has developed 180 shades for customers to choose two from (meaning there are more than 16,000 possible combinations), three stripe sizes – skinny, midi and grand – plus the options of squiggled and diagonal lines. The brand only uses recycled materials, and customers can purchase the fabric to measure, or they can use it to create made-to-order cushions, blinds and curtains. Those wishing to see the pieces in person can book in for a consultation at Colours of Arley’s east-London shop. ‘I wanted to create something that people will invest in and love for years to come,’ says Tratalos. ‘Stripes are tried and tested patterns that stick around.’
