Gryphon Sateen Sheets Review
Gryphon Profile
Since 1813, Gryphon has been creating high quality, expertly-crafted, and affordable textiles for their valued customers. Like its legendary griffin mascot, Gryphon exemplifies the strength and loyalty of well-constructed, long lasting fabrics and sheets. Gryphon owns and operates their own facilities from cotton farm to shipping box, ensuring that all of their processes are responsible, ethical, and environmentally sustainable. In order to provide the most luxurious sheets to their customers, Gryphon uses 100% Supima cotton—a cotton grown only in the Southwestern USA, representing less than 2% of the cotton harvested globally. Supima’s extra-long fibers give it superior strength, resilience, softness, and color retention. Supima cotton is also approved by the BCI (Better Cotton Initiative), which means it is more kind to its farmers and the environment. Gryphon is certified to promote responsible sourcing, fair wages, and safe working conditions, which makes them one of the best choices for sleep-lovers alike.
Gryphon Sateen Construction
Gryphon sent me their Luxury Suite sateen cotton sheets in Charcoal Gray. I received the sheets in a brown shipping box with “DO NOT OPEN WITH SHARP INSTRUMENT” printed across the top flap, so I just tore it open. The sheets came tucked away in a sateen cotton bag, secured in a sealed plastic sleeve.
Many of the sheets I have reviewed have come folded in small cloth pouches, but I really appreciate the companies that use bags instead because they can be reused easily—there’s even a tag that says “Please, re-use me!”
The package—and sheet set itself—felt much lighter than other sheet sets I have reviewed. Initially I was worried that this set was missing a piece or two (possibly from a packing slip-up), but as it turned out everything was present. After unboxing, unbagging, and unfolding, I had a good look at the set before washing. The sheets are extremely light, which explains why the box’s weight was so negligible, but that is what is most interesting about these sheets—they are far more lightweight than any other sateen sheet.
The sheets are an exquisite shade of gray that has a deeper and heartier color than the gray on Eli & Elm’s Wharf Collection. While I wasn’t a fan of the pattern/colors of the Wharf Collection, this solid gray has truly caught my fancy. The sheets are made of strong, Oeko-Tex Certified, 100% Supima Cotton, and the seams and weave feel sturdy with little to no stretch at all.
My Gryphon Sateen Findings
I sent the sheets through the washer on cold and the dryer on low, and the fitted sheet pockets only shrunk by 0.75 inches—the smallest shrinkage I’ve reviewed on a cotton sheet set.
The Gryphon fitted sheet grips my mattress perfectly, and the pieces have retained a wrinkle-free texture despite sleeping on them for a week. These details may sound inconsequential, but they are nonetheless important things to note—personally I do not like my bed to be covered in myriad wrinkles.
Gryphon’s sateen sheets are possibly the greatest set of sheets that I have ever slept on, and that is not an exaggeration. Immediately after hopping into bed I knew that they were perfect. Light, airy, and breathable, yet soft and sleek—I had to double check the tag to make sure I wasn’t confusing the set with a bamboo sheet of some sort. In my experience, all cotton sheets, no matter how soft, have a kind of stiffness not found in bamboo or lycell.
Three weeks ago I found myself wondering if bamboo sheets had completely ruined my perception of cotton sheets, but now I’m happy to report that that is not the case! Gryphon has created an amazing product that provides an incredible sleep experience, and I’m reluctant to move on to other sets.
I have a few unhealthy sleep habits here and there, and sometimes those lead to less than satisfying snoozes, but these charcoal gray Gryphon sateen cotton sheets have unlocked a switch in my brain that almost immediately has me enjoying my best nights in months. My issues with sleep come from being too busy—there’s always something to do and it absolutely cannot wait until the morning—which means it’s not necessarily the falling asleep bit that I find challenging, but getting into bed proves to be more of a struggle. With that said, I haven’t gone a day without longing for the moment when I can curl up under those gray sheets, ready for a solid sleep, which makes putting down the notepad and getting into bed all the easier. I cannot speak more highly of these life-changing sheets—upon my discovery I just had to text Ben and tell him about these utopian fabric slices of excellence.
My Gryphon Sateen Recommendation
Gryphon’s queen size Luxury Suite cotton sateen sheet set comes in at $150 for a fitted sheet, flat sheet, and two pillowcases—a reasonable, affordable, and accessible price for a luxurious night’s sleep. While it may not be as inexpensive as other cotton sets, it definitely surpasses them in quality. If you’re still feeling unsure, Gryphon offers a 100-day free trial, which is the longest trial-run I’ve seen around. I know that I will definitely be keeping Gryphon’s sateen sheets and they will permanently have a place in my linen closet.
Alterra Pure Organic Cotton Percale Bundle Review
Alterra Pure Profile
Alterra Pure was built on pillars of social and environmental sustainability, and maintaining a transparent and ethical business is their main goal. In order to live by their values, they pride themselves on giving back to the environment and those who produce their products. This means purchasing fair trade cotton from farms that use only rainwater to water their crops—they also recycle all water used in both fabric production and fabric finishing. To uphold their strong social standards, they hold no secrets—transparency is one of the most important principles a sustainable company must practice. Every step of Alterra Pure’s supply chain is Certified Organic and/or LEED Certified—from seed to gin to wheel to loom, nothing is overlooked. All water and materials are reused if possible, and as I mentioned before, even their packaging is made of biodegradable, scrap cotton and recycled paper. They are proud of the work they do and the products they create, so every ingredient and process is meticulously graded and tweaked to make the best fabrics. Their small lot and artisanal production scale is ideal for maintaining these tenets of sustainability and ethicality while staying afloat financially.
Alterra Pure sent me their Traditional Organic Bundle to review. The shipping box held two off-white boxes that were constructed from re-constituted/up-cycled scrap cotton and recycled paper. The boxes are not smooth, nor are they shiny or sleek—they have a more Earthy feel to them.
“ALTERRA PURE” is scrawled across the linty paper exteriors, with a seam dividing the two words. The seam (and the two box halves) is held together by a single piece of terra cotta-colored tape.
After gently peeling off the tape—attempting to keep the boxes’ finishes intact—I found the sheets and duvet neatly folded, and tucked away in each box.
I love the boxes—they’re gorgeous; the textures, colors, and fonts are beautifully executed; and the structure and overall design are not only effective in function, but also in reusability and general purpose storage. I plan to keep them around for a bit because I’ve got some magazines that could use a nice, new, organized home.
Alterra Pure Construction
I removed and unfolded the sheets to get a better look at the collection. They sent me a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, two pillow cases, and a duvet cover—all pieces are made of organic cotton percale fabric. Initially, the sheets had a kind of parachute fabric feel to them, which I assumed would just wash out in the first laundry cycle, but I was wrong. After following the prescribed wash and dry instructions, I was left with sheets that feel nearly the same as when they went in.
There was quite a bit of shrinkage, but I think Alterra Pure accounted for that when they made the sheets because despite the pockets shrinking almost 2 inches, the fitted sheet grips my mattress perfectly.
In addition to the texture and shrinkage, I noticed that they stayed quite wrinkly, despite finally trying the damp washcloth method (which worked minimally). All of the set pieces don two very classy pinstripes close to the edges—one red and one blue—which serve as functional stitchings.
The coconut buttons on the duvet are a good size relative to their respective holes, which I really appreciate because tough buttons can really beat up a set of fingertips.
My Alterra Pure Findings
As I mentioned before, the sheets maintained their parachute-esque feel even after washing. I was a little skeptical going into this review, because the only other percale set I’ve reviewed so far is the Primary Goods set, which placed quite low on my list. Surprisingly, Alterra Pure’s collection does not remind me of the Primary Goods’ percale set at all, which honestly is a giant bonus in my book. The sheets have a kind of slick feel to them making movement easy and slightly slippery. The percale fabric is very breathable and comfortable no matter the temperature—I actually find it more temperature regulative than some of the other cotton sheet sets I’ve tried.
My Alterra Pure Recommendation
I really love these sheets. I ended up liking the slippery texture, and the temperature regulation is aces. Everything from the red and blue stitching to the box design has me smitten, which is rare for cotton sheets—cotton sheets are pretty hit and miss for me. I love everything Alterra Pure stands for, and I commend them for taking such a firm stance on their values in every aspect of their production line. Their prices are on par with other organic cotton sets—$160 for queen size sheets, $160 for a queen size duvet cover, and $285 as a bundle. Primary Goods sells a queen size percale cotton bundle for $269 normally, but occasionally marks it down for $179. While Primary Goods percale set is considerably less expensive during markdown times, the quality of materials, comfort, and values woven into each inch of Alterra Pure’s bedding make the price worth every penny.
