Towels

My father, William Woods, worked for a towel manufacturer in Northern Ireland before a buying career that took him around the world:

"And then in my buying career, I've been all over the world, from the States to Europe to Singapore, the Far East, trying to buy what is different and what is the best, really."

GSM (grams per square metre) is often treated like thread count, as if a heavier towel must be a better one. My father disagrees:

"...the same is true of grammes per square meter in towels, and everything hinges on the quality of a towel by its weight, which is not true."

 A heavy towel made from mediocre cotton is still a mediocre towel.

Where should you aim?

"Generally speaking, in the main, somewhere between 500 and 600 is where you should be looking at. Certainly nothing less than 500."

William Woods

What William recommends

• 500 to 600gsm for everyday use. Nothing below 500gsm.
• Choose a looped pile. Cropped and velour towels look handsome, but their cut pile is generally less absorbent than a traditional looped pile.

"Now, crop towels are basically towels with a pile that's been cut. So it's like a velvet pile, which are very nice and they look good. But the reality is they don't dry as well."

William Woods

• Consider the cotton. Long-staple Egyptian cotton offers softness, while carded cotton is a practical choice for towels that need to withstand frequent laundering.
• Think about drying time. Waffle and linen huckaback towels dry quickly after use, making them particularly useful in humid bathrooms.
• Avoid fabric softener. It can leave a coating on the fibres, reducing the towel's ability to absorb water.

Luxury towels should dry beautifully, feel calm against the skin, and stay plush after repeated washing. Our Egyptian cotton edit is selected for absorbency, weight, and a finish that looks crisp in a well kept bathroom. Our Ultimate Supreme range runs to 700gsm across five sizes and twelve colours, and it is the towel most of our customers come back for. Start with bath towels as your everyday foundation.

Choose the sizes you will actually use

If you want more wrap and warmth, add bath sheets. For basins and cloakrooms, hand towels keep the room feeling considered without trying too hard. Keep colours consistent across sizes for an easy, hotel level look.

What makes a towel feel luxurious

A good towel balances softness with structure, so it feels plush but does not collapse into lint. For bath towels, 500 to 600gsm is the everyday sweet spot: absorbent enough to dry you properly, light enough to dry itself between uses. Above 600gsm you gain plushness and lose drying speed, which is why the heavier weights suit a guest bathroom better than a family one. Look for a dense pile and tidy hems, then wash gently and avoid over drying. Rotating your towels helps the pile recover between uses, which keeps them feeling better for longer.

For early access to new towel colours, limited runs, and seasonal edits, you are warmly invited to join the Heritage Partnership.