Responding to Bjart comment “Why on earth you would love linen so much is beyond me”

I see soft furnishing/linen as fast fashion for the home.  The days of buying and using it till it is worn out are long gone for many.

Feed by home reno shows, Pinterest and Instagram, homewares has succumbed to fast changing trends and a constant “need” to update your look. This is coupled with the ability of retailers to quickly turnaround new product and respond to emerging trends and colours.

Redoing your kitchen regularly is not feasible, or possible if you’re a renter so the next best thing is to change your look though new pillows, throws, doonas, knick knacks, etc.  It’s the quickest, cheapest way to get a fresh new look that’s on trend. The question is how often do you do that? I’d suggest in the right demographic it is more often than you think.

I agree the linen lovers club has enormous support and engagement.  I think the trick is they offer more than a barrage of standard email offers as the member deals offer real value for the consumer.  The quality of the product is also good and viewed as a step up from any major discount retailers and not daggy as current dept stores. In the bricks and mortar space they seem to have the leading product.  Pillow talk is a competitor however their product ranging is never as sharp as Adair’s imo.  There is an obvious overlap with some online retailers, but Adair’s have an established brand and look, consumers know what to expect from any product purchased online so I think that stands them in good stead.  I have been surprised by the uptake of online sales, having overweighted the importance of being able to touch and feel the product.

I think, (as wanky as it sounds) Adair’s are successfully selling lifestyle aspiration not linen. (Look at the highly styled images on the website/socials) Buying homewares can be emotive for some people and while it is not always a necessity it is a “feel good” product at an acceptable price.

From a personal point of view, I lament the throwaway culture of fast fashion and equally despair the way homewares has encroached the same culture, although it is an obvious advantage for retailers such as Adair’s and Lovisa. The volume of waste from textiles we chuck in Australia is appalling.

Finally, Adair’s call the soft/home furnishing category “home styling” on their website, says it all.