After a successful career on the catwalk, supermodel Megan Gale turned her hand to swimwear designing, launching her label Isola in 2010. Now she is adding homeware designer to that impressive resume, releasing her inaugural MG Collection of bed linen and towels in Target stores this month.

London by MG Collection

Why homewares?

It was something I have been thinking about doing since 2013 but either the timing, the people or the products haven’t been exactly the right mix. It was one of those ideas that just kept coming up and going away, coming up and going away so when this opportunity presented itself to me it seemed like a good fit. I knew Target were excited at the prospect and I knew the quality of what I’d be working with would be top notch. Target is obviously already a great destination for homewares but, additionally, what I was presenting to them and what I wanted to create was something I thought they were lacking.

How is designing for the home different to fashion design?

There are actually a lot of similarities because both are very trend based. Obviously there are apparel trends and homeware trends but they can actually be quite similar. There’s a belief that whatever someone is gravitating towards with apparel — whether it’s colour, print or texture — they often also subconsciously interpret that into their homeware choices, it’s an extension of your own personal style.

What or who inspires you?

I definitely get impressed by what other people are doing design-wise do but I think it’s important to find your own style. For me, despite being a gypsy for so many years and travelling so much, I am a real home body and really like to create my own little cocoon and sanctuary. Having said that though, for this collection I’ve taken inspiration from my travels to beautiful destinations such as Santorini, Paris, London and New York.

How did those cities translate into the finished product?

It was different things in each place that really shaped the collection. In Paris it was things like the beautiful, old, ornate architecture and the arches under the Eiffel Tower that were directly translated into the shapes used in the print. There was some hardware on one of the cushions in the range that I thought felt too industrial so we got rid of it — that’s how specific we were. Santorini was one of the easiest bay far because we just had to have the Aegean Sea blue teamed with the crisp white.

Santorini by MG Collection

Is there a particular product or design story in the range that represents your personal style?

Can I say all of it? I think it depends on what season it is and what mood I’m in. The Santorini range just screams summer holiday and I really wanted it to resonate with people in that way. The Paris collection really touches on my feminine side while the London and New York collections are more in tune with a really classic, understated style that I sometimes favour. The Hollywood line is just glam though — for those times when you just want to dress up and be totally over the top.

How important was how the product felt to the touch?

Extremely. People, by nature, are very tactile creatures and when you’re lying in these sheets and quilts and wrapping yourself in the towels, you want it to feel luxurious against your skin. The feel was the absolute key for me in getting the final product just right and not just when you first take the product out of the packaging. It’s important for it to feel just as luxurious after a few washes. Also, I think people relate the feel of the product to its quality and it’s the same when we shop for clothes.

MG Collection includes cotton quilt cover sets, detailed sheets and a selection of accent pieces including cushions, throws and towels and will be available in store and online at Target from tomorrow (September 10). More target.com.au