As you’ve probably seen all over our Instagram, we recently had an incredible yoga and surfing retreat at The Maldives. It was 6 days of of pure bliss!
Each and every one of our retreaters was lucky enough to receive a beautiful Turkish towel for their days of surf, sun and yoga, from Australian brand MAYDE. As fellow lovers of the sea, they were the perfect partner for our yoga holiday.
Here we get to know one half of the husband and wife duo behind MAYDE, Sylvia Hill.
Tell us about MAYDE Towels
MAYDE started 6 yrs ago, as a thought and a dream, but with a purpose behind it. We just needed something new in our lives that would make our outings easier and lighter. We’d just had our first boy, Duke, and were visiting the beach often – when we came across Turkish towels, we knew we’d found our calling. The rest as they say is history!
What was your vision when you started the brand?
Our vision was basically to make life easier for everyone – knowing how many things you carry around once you have kids, we could see that there was a way to make things a little simpler and lighter. When we discovered how truly versatile Turkish towels were, we knew we’d found something we’d love forever – the fact that they can be used as not just towels, but as throws, wraps, at the gym or a yoga studio, as a table cloth, etc etc, and that they’re also eco friendly, was just awesome to us.
Has your love for the sea and adventure been an inspiration for MAYDE Towels? Where else do you look for inspiration?
Anyone who’s had to carry multiple towels for kids and adults to the beach or pool or wherever, will agree that heavy ones can be a pain in the butt! Our love for the coast and the subsequent start of MAYDE meant we’d made our life simpler and our bags were all of a sudden lighter and emptier! Now our trips to the seaside were a breeze! Our ocean adventures constantly inspire us, and in terms of where else we look for inspiration, it’s honestly everywhere – it could simply be a colour of someone’s shirt that’s caught our eye, or a sunset, perhaps a completely unrelated product we’ve seen in a magazine that’s made us sit up and take notice – I would hate to pigeonhole ourselves and only look in one direction… we look everywhere… inspiration *is* everywhere.
What’s the most incredible beach holiday you’ve ever had?
I’ve been lucky to have a few! Living in Australia, we’re spoilt for choice, and simple weekend beach visits can sometimes be the absolute best. But if I had to really narrow it down, the Maldives were incredible, and we definitely have a soft spot for the North Shore on Oahu, Hawaii. I’ll also give a shout out to Cloud 9 in Fiji – that place is next level.
Your favourite swimming spot on the Northern beaches?
My husband was living on the Northern Beaches when we met so we were at one beach or another every weekend in the early days of our relationship – Bungan was our usual go-to (although the hills getting back up were a bit of a nightmare when you’re carrying bags and boards, but on the plus side, that also kept the beach relatively quiet), and I love Bilgola – tucked away in this little paradise, you’d never even know it was there.
What’s next for MAYDE?
We have lots cooking! We’ve just recently opened up a sales office in the US which we’re really excited about, and are about to launch our US website. We’ve also got a new European distributor on board. We’re working with lots of incredible local and international talent and just seeing where everything takes us. So next up I guess we’re just slowly going to take over the world…? Haha. That seems most logical. ;-)
Shop the MAYDE range at mayde.com.au and follow their Insta @mayde_australia
