Percale Bedding

What is percale?

Percale refers not to a fibre, but to a weave: warp and weft cross one over one in a plain weave. This gives the fabric its dry, smooth handle and remarkable durability, as every thread is firmly interlaced. The name derives from the Persian pargalah, meaning “fine cloth”.

Thread count describes a fabric’s density by counting the number of warp and weft threads per square inch. The more threads a fabric contains, the finer and more even the yarn must be. This is why fine percale is woven from long-staple, combed cotton. Long fibres can be spun into fine, strong yarn, while combing removes the shorter fibres before they can form pills. Particularly dense qualities woven from exceptionally fine yarns are known as fine percale.

The result is a matt, even surface that absorbs rather than reflects light.

The Unico Collection: Percale Bedding with a 230 Thread Count

The Unico collection comes in thirteen solid colours, ranging from Pure White and Cream Light Beige to Azure Light Blue, Sage Green, Forest Dark Green, Graphite Dark Grey and Night Dark Blue.

Woven in Northern Italy from combed American Pima cotton, the fabric has a thread count of 230 and a weight of 120 g/m². It is densely woven yet remains light, cool and comfortable against the body.

The yarns are dyed throughout, allowing the colour to become part of the fibre itself rather than resting on its surface. The result is a depth of colour that endures through everyday use and repeated washing.

Percale, Sateen and Renforcé

The difference lies in the weave. In sateen, the threads float over several interlacing points, creating its fluid drape and characteristic lustre. Percale interlaces every thread individually, resulting in a matt surface and a cooler, crisper feel.

Renforcé uses the same plain weave as percale, but with coarser yarns and a lower thread count, making it a more robust cotton fabric for everyday use.

If you prefer a smooth surface with a gentle lustre, our sateen bedding offers a fluid drape. For a more textured character and a naturally fuller feel, discover our linen bedding.

Discover also
Sateen bedding · Linen bedding

Why Percale Feels Cool

The dense plain weave gives percale its smooth, close surface, while its structure allows air to circulate. Cotton absorbs moisture and releases it again, helping the fabric feel cool and dry against the skin. These qualities make percale particularly suited to warmer nights.
Its breathable character also makes it suitable throughout the year, beneath both lightweight summer duvets and warmer winter duvets.

From the Atelier: Percale Made to Order

We hold fabric rather than finished bed linen, and make each set only after it has been ordered. Every piece is cut and sewn in our own ateliers in Germany and Poland, allowing us to produce only what is required. The percale is woven for us in Northern Italy.

The mill that weaves our fabric participates in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. All fabrics in our current bed linen collection are certified to OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100.

Made in Your Size

In addition to the standard sizes in our collection, we make any custom size that is technically feasible — including dimensions as generous as 285×280 cm.

Send us a brief enquiry with the width and length in centimetres. Oliwia from our atelier will reply personally by email or WhatsApp and confirm the price before you order. An overview of our standard dimensions can be found in the bedding size guide.

A fabric is best understood by touch. You may order a fabric sample before choosing; the sample fee will be credited in full towards your order.

Care: Whites up to 60°C, Colours up to 40°C

White percale bed linen may be washed at up to 60°C. Coloured bed linen should be washed at up to 40°C to help preserve the depth of the yarn-dyed colours.
Wash coloured sets sorted by similar colours and with the zip closed. They may be tumble-dried at a low temperature and ironed at up to 150°C.
The dense weave helps resist pilling, while the fabric becomes more supple with every wash without losing its matt, dry feel.