Antipodean towel and bathing brand BAINA has released its latest collection, Underwood, inspired by vintage sports aesthetics. The brand has reimagined its timeless collections with the introduction of the seasonal colourway of moss, a deep green designed to become a transeasonal staple.

The brainchild of Anna Fahey and Bailey Meredith, it is the fourth collection from the brand and consists of a hand and bath towel and generous bath sheet, in 600 GSM organic cotton. Having launched in 2019, Fahey says the brand was born from a shared desire to create their own label, based from their individual background knowledge of creative industries.

“We both have backgrounds in fashion, and have a deep respect for design,” says Fahey. “After a decade in the industry we felt a certain burn out from the cyclical pressures the fashion industry promotes, and decided if we were wanting to create a business, it needed to be season-less.”

“Colours are generally limited to ensure the wardrobe is classic, and pieces transcend beyond the seasonal trend. Bailey and I share a love of similar brands, and often manage to complement each other.”

The pair both share a love of bathing as a ritualistic act, as something they lean on for a “regular reset” and thus the BAINA brand was born.

The creative process behind Underwood was considered, something the pair had been mulling over for some time. Inspired by a vintage-sport sensibility, once conceiving product, it was clear how the idea of Underwood would fit into the BAINA brand seamlessly.

“We’d been sitting on this colour combination for some time – it was so strong and we were waiting for the right design to put it to – and when we developed this particular piece, it had such an elevated, vintage-sport feeling.

“When the moss and crème [colourways, unique to this collection] were applied, we saw how complimentary it would be to the rest of the BAINA collection.”

Underwood’s campaign imagery, shot by Rob Tennent, cultivates a sense of playful athleticism and when paired with the naming of the collection after the Underwood Pool in Massachusetts – oldest public swimming complex in the USA – it is clear from the onset that strength and physicality factored into the conceptualisation of the collection.

Fahey explains the BAINA Underwood collection carries with it a distinct sports energy, and the campaign shoot is a “Kiwi interpretation of locker room energy”

“We decided to shoot this style outside of the bathroom space, allowing us to conceptualise the notion of a post-match locker room ‘exhale,’” explained Fahey.

“Rob Tennent is known for his exploration of physicality and youth and being that he was a friend of ours, we trusted he would deliver this narrative. We were so excited to see [the campaign] come together.”

Moving forward, both Fahey and Meredith are looking forward to reconnecting with wider communities once again as global restrictions are slowly reduced, and the set up of an Australian showroom in the coming months.

“We are now able to freely travel in and out of New Zealand, so we have Portugal, Australia and the US all happening in the next couple of months, and setting up our showroom in Sydney in the latter part of this year – having our feet on the ground – will be such a welcome relief.”

BAINA's Underwood collection is now available to shop.