The New Textile Company That’s Making High-End Fabrics Available to the Masses

Never underestimate the power of a great textile. It doesn’t matter if you favor a bold, busy pattern or a minimalist print, a great fabric can wake up your space and give it a much needed dose of color and texture. The problem is, the textile industry is straight up complicated. Fabrics are not cheap, and many brands are only sold “to the trade” and are off-limits to non-professionals. But that was the past. Changing the game for design lovers everywhere is Pepper, a new direct-to-consumer company that’s making beautiful fabrics accessible to everyone. If you’re a textile lover, you’ve got to check Pepper out.

Founders Erin Banta and Kelsey Brown were inspired to start a textile revolution when they were students at Columbia Business School and saw a growing need for a simpler, more affordable way to source fabric. “We had both recently moved in with our now-husbands and really cared about making a home for the first time,” Banta explains. “We found that the textile pieces we truly loved were inaccessible to us for many reasons. Even in instances where we could access the fabric by the yard we wanted, the process of creating the final product for our homes was both confusing and super expensive.” So, how did they go about the process of buying fabric and making customization cheaper and easier?

First off, Banta and Brown are producing their textiles in the United States, which results in a shorter lead times, less waste, and, yes, a lower price point. The duo’s decision to digitally print all of its patterns also keeps costs down. Moreover, digital printing also cuts down on water use, energy consumption, and the amount of pigment utilized. So this method of production is kind of a win-win.

How much savings are we talking? A throw pillow from Pepper costs $68, while other textile companies can charge well into the hundreds for a similar piece. Not only are all fabrics made with 100 percent cotton, but Pepper offers an array of pretty floral, brushstroke, and geometric patterns that customers can choose from. “As we design our collections, our focus is always on creating statement-making accessories that are bold enough to transform a space,” Banta says. “We opt for fresh and current colorways that we strategically select to make mixing and matching easier for our customers.”

Since its founding in 2018, Pepper has already expanded into throw pillows, tabletop textiles, and curtains. Better yet, the brand is only getting started. Banta confirms Pepper will expand into new patterns and categories—think wallpaper and fabric by the yard—come 2020. “We want to change people’s views on decorating and help them realize that it doesn’t have to be super expensive and intimidating,” she says.

And now you have a new site to bookmark the next time you’re ready to refresh your place.