Why We Chose Liberty Tana Lawn™ for Revela

We didn't set out to make sleepwear from Liberty Tana Lawn™. 

In fact, Tana Lawn isn't a fabric most people would immediately associate with sleepwear. It is better known for fashion, dressmaking and those unmistakable Liberty prints, from delicate florals and fine botanicals to bold, contemporary designs.

But then we experienced it.

We felt it against the skin.

And something happened.

The prints became secondary. The fabric was the reason.

A fabric with a story

The story of Tana Lawn begins with a lake in Ethiopia.

The name comes from Lake Tana, and Tana Lawn was established as a signature Liberty fabric in the early 1930s by Liberty's cotton buyer, William Hayes Dorell. The name was inspired by the region and its long-staple cotton, which helped make an exceptionally fine, smooth yarn possible.

But Liberty's relationship with cotton lawn began even earlier. Since the late 1890s, Liberty had been experimenting with cotton lawn, refining its qualities over generations and developing it into the exceptionally fine fabric known today as Tana Lawn™.

More than a century later, that process of refinement continues.

And perhaps that is what makes Tana Lawn so special. It isn't simply a historic fabric. It is a fabric that has continued to evolve.

Where British design meets Italian craftsmanship

There is another part of the story we love.

The journey from a Liberty design to the fabric we use at Revela crosses two very different creative worlds.

London is where the designs begin.

Liberty's designers work from its London studio, creating new designs and drawing inspiration from an extraordinary archive of historic prints. Some are delicate and romantic. Others are bold, graphic and unmistakably contemporary.

The variety is extraordinary.

And then those designs make their way to Italy.

Near Lake Como, specialist printing and manufacturing expertise brings the designs to life as Tana Lawn fabric.

It is a meeting of British creativity and Italian textile craftsmanship, combining heritage techniques with modern technology.

So when you look closely at a Liberty print, you're not simply looking at a beautiful pattern.

You're looking at a journey from design, to colour, to cloth.

And that is part of what makes each print feel so special.

The designs are part of the magic

Once we discovered how Tana Lawn felt, we began to appreciate something else.

The designs.

There is almost no single definition of what a Liberty print looks like.

You can find tiny, finely detailed roses.

Delicate botanicals.

Classic florals.

Painterly designs.

Geometric patterns.

Large, bold prints that feel distinctly fashion-forward.

Some are romantic. Some are sophisticated. Some are playful. Some are dramatic.

And that matters to us.

Because sleepwear doesn't have to look the same for every woman.

What you wear to bed can still reflect your personality, even when nobody else sees it.

Why our Revela collections are limited

There is another part of the Tana Lawn story that makes Revela rather different.

Our access to Liberty Tana Lawn in South Africa is limited.

We work with selected fabric runs that become available to us, often in quantities that simply cannot be replenished once they are gone.

That means we don't choose a fabric and then keep producing the same sleepwear indefinitely.

Instead, we make a very limited number of Revela sets from each fabric run.

And once that fabric is gone, that particular Revela collection is gone too.

We don't see that as a limitation.

We see it as part of the experience.

It means the woman who chooses a Revela set is unlikely to see it everywhere.

She may never see that particular print again.

It won't technically be one of a kind, but it may be one of very few.

And we rather like that.

Because to us, luxury isn't simply about having something expensive.

It is about having something beautiful, considered and distinctive.

Why Revela chose it

Ultimately, our decision was surprisingly simple.

We experienced the fabric.

We felt how light and smooth it was against the skin.

We loved its softness, its fluidity and the way it moved.

And we realised that it offered exactly what we wanted from sleepwear.

Something that feels wonderful when you're sleeping.

Something beautiful enough to make getting ready for bed feel like a small ritual.

Something you can lounge in, relax in and enjoy wearing.

And then there were the prints.

So many beautiful possibilities, each with its own personality.

The fabric made us choose Tana Lawn.

The designs made us fall in love with it.

And the limited availability makes every Revela collection feel that little bit more special.

From London, to Lake Como, to Revela

There is something rather lovely about the journey.

A design is created in London.

It is brought to life as Tana Lawn near Lake Como.

A limited fabric run makes its way to South Africa.

And here, we turn it into a small number of handcrafted Revela pieces.

Each one made with the same intention: to make rest feel beautiful.

Not extravagant.

Not showy.

Just beautifully considered.

Because we believe what you wear when you rest matters.

And sometimes, quiet luxury is simply choosing something that feels wonderful against your skin.