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| Seea Hermosa in Limestone with Mayde towel. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
Swimsuits and towels are like a surfboard and fin, two complementary parts that pretty much always travel to the beach together. We loved Mayde’s Turkish towels in vibrant stripe designs and the more we got to know the adorable couple behind the company, it was a match made in beach paradise to put our two styles together.
Mayde was founded by husband and wife team, Sylvia and Tim Hill in the Gold Coast of Australia. Sylvia had given up work at the time to raise their newborn son Duke, but was feeling itchy feet to start a project during his naptimes. It hit them to revive an old idea Tim had to start a towel business. Who doesn’t need towels and even more tempting if they're stylish?
They put their creative minds together (Tim’s background in apparel and retail, and Sylvia’s in fashion and music/entertainment) and reinvigorated historic Turkish towels (peshtemals) that date all the way back to the Ottoman Empire and were traditionally used in the hammams (Turkish bath houses). Because the woven fabric texture of Turkish towels appears more similar to a luxe cotton dishtowel than a terrycloth towel, they are lighter weight, faster drying and roll up in a smaller space, not to mention could be turned into a wrap or scarf — a single multipurpose accessory that a busy mom, or any vagabond beach girl would love.
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| Seea Jalama Bikini in Sea Glass. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Jalama Bikini in Sea Glass. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
Sylvia swears by them from first hand experience. “They were a God-send when I was last in Istanbul — giving me warmth when I was travelling in the cold wind on open top buses and ferries, the perfect blanket on flights and airport layovers, and even as a scarf on the cooler days. I was also able to use it as a cover when I visited any mosques and was the perfect thing to sit on whenever I stopped for a while to rest (and being pregnant on that trip meant I took LOTS of rest stops!). It was my go-to item everyday whilst I was travelling,” she says.
“When you buy a Turkish towel, you're not even really buying just a towel. You're purchasing something that spans the seasons, can be used from room to room or can even be a fashion statement. The way you use it is up to you,” she says.
Case in point: “I definitely got a kick out of seeing the young son of a photographer using one of our towels to hang off a tree on a beach, like a little monkey. Even kids get creative with the way they use these towels!”
Check out all the colors of Mayde Turkish towels, blankets and bath towels (including some terry versions) seen in their photoshoot here and more at their website: Mayde.com.au!
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| Seea Hermosa in Limestone. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Hermosa in Limestone. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Chicama in Cable Knit. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Chicama in Cable Knit. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Chicama in Cable Knit. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Monterey in Black Diamond. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Monterey in Black Diamond. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Pacifica Legging in Purple Shell. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
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| Seea Chicama in Cable Knit. Photo by Chris Cooney for Mayde. |
Thanks to Mayde Australia @mayde_australia and crew!
Photographer: Chris Cooney @chrisscooneyphotography
Hair/makeup: Tara Wheatley @mercer_makeupandstyling
Photographer and styling Assistant: Dajana Cahill @dajanabanana
Model: Tegan Dermek @tegaan
MORE FASHION:
- Make it Your Own! Mixing & Matching Seea
- Seea in the RedMilk x White Milan Spring 2015 Fashion Editorial!
- Seea Australia Photo Shoot