Alterra Pure Sheets Review: Percale Feel, Shrinkage and Fit

The original firsthand review

The original 2019 account follows. Prices, policies and company claims describe that period. The reviewer’s comfort and handling observations remain visible below.

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.