"What is the identity of your stripe?" This is the question that Colours of Arley founder Louisa Tratalos asks clients as they begin the development of their bespoke fabric. Since launching in 2022, the London-based brand has amassed a cult following in the UK that celebrates its bold use of color and ever-exciting stripes. With their New York City pop-up open for the remainder of this month, Louisa and her team are encouraging New Yorkers to dip their toes in the design possibilities that come with color and discover ways in which their identity can manifest itself through stripes.
Now, stripes are certainly a hot interior design trend at the moment, but for Colours of Arley, they're part of the brand's DNA. “Stripes feel familiar, and they have an effect on people,” Louisa tells me. Think about it — we see stripes all the time in daily life. In street signage, flags, and even in clothing. Stripes are not a fleeting fad, but instead a nostalgia-inducing, playful energy-emitting pattern that can easily enhance the look of your interiors.
When presented with an opportunity to establish a pop-up in New York's iconic Tribeca neighborhood, Louisa and her team were eager to catapult their stripe-y style to a new city and reframe the core question of their brand: what is the identity of Tribeca's stripes? The answer came not from a single inspiration, but from the heartbeat of the neighborhood itself — its hottest brands.
Beginning at OSSA, the accessories brand hosting the Colours of Arley pop-up, Louisa and her team developed a stripe combination out of punchy red and soft pink. This stripe is featured on the larger-than-life shower curtain hanging outside the storefront as well as the table skirt draped around the tile island in the center of the store. This combination of colors and interior setup mimics the Colours of Arley boutique back in London.
But to truly capture the essence of Tribeca, Louisa and her team turned to other local entities for inspiration. From the beloved Baz Bagels to the hip dog walking service Woof-Tang Clan and even the oh-so-chic cocktail bar Quarters, Louisa developed stripe identities that speak to the aesthetic of these businesses. So if you're hooked on these quintessential New York brands, shop their limited edition Colours of Arley stripes below.
One inspiration for Louisa was Baz Bagel, a Tribeca hot spot known for tasty fresh bagels and the classic NYC diner atmosphere. To capture the essence of this establishment, Louisa created the Mint Cream + Meteorite stripe finished with a Lantern orange base — a color that references Baz's smoked-salmon bagel. The fabric effortlessly complements the existing decor in the Baz Bagel shop (shown above), but it can easily become a statement piece in your home through a shower curtain.
Louisa's own dog, Patch, serves as the muse of Colours of Arley. So it's no wonder that one of Louisa's inspirations for her collection of limited edition products was the NYC dog walking service Woof-Tang Clan. She created a line of pet leashes and beds that are fully customizable or available in ready-made color combos like the Sawdust + Peat check print, above — a print and color combo inspired by one of the pooch members of the Woof Tang Clan.
As a concept store and cocktail bar, Tribeca's Quarters acted as another source of inspiration for Louisa's limited edition fabrics. Quarters is a chic hideaway with a radiant atmosphere. It's no surprise that the bar's classic martinis influenced a new stripe variation for Colours of Arley — Acid + Zest. Like shown above, this colorway is available as tablecloths or napkins and could serve as the punch of pattern your home needs.
As Louisa tells me, stripes are so much more than simple straight lines — especially when you have a say in their creation. Colours of Arley presents clients with hundreds of color options to create meaningful and unique stripes that speak to your personality, identity, and are bound to satisfy the upholstery needs of your home.
So, whether you're in the mood for some color inspiration and exploring the latest color trends, or you're desperate to find the identity of your stripe, head over to Colours of Arley's Tribeca pop-up at 145 Reade Street before the end of the month.
