Aerin Launches an East Hampton-Inspired Tile Set with The Mahjong Line
The new Botanical Line captures the essence of summer through beautifully designed playing pieces
In an age when people are looking for community away from digital screens, it is no wonder that the game of mahjong has so robustly risen in popularity. Mahjong, which originally started in China in the mid-to-late 1800s and came across to the U.S. in the early 1920s, brings new meaning to gathering around a table as it preserves a tradition passed down through generations while simultaneously promoting connection.
“Mahjong has a wonderful way of bringing people together,” beauty and lifestyle maven Aerin Lauder shares. “I am still very much a beginner, but I have loved discovering the strategy, tradition, and connection the game brings. It is a game that you continue learning over time, while creating special memories with family and friends.”
Lauder, whose own namesake brand, Aerin, is heavily influenced by her late grandmother, Estèe, knows a thing or two about passing down traditions, so she was the perfect choice for the Dallas-based mahjong company, The Mahjong Line, to collaborate with for their first partnership ever.
“Aerin embodies the same ‘effortless glamour’ ethos we’ve built The Mahjong Line around—beautiful, considered design that still feels fun,” says Kate LaGere, co-founder of The Mahjong Line. The Mahjong Line, which launched during Covid in 2020, brings a design-focused approach to the classic game. Some credit the brand’s fanciful tiles as one of the reasons American mahjong is having such a moment.
The two brands chose The Mahjong Line’s beloved Botanical tile set as their base, updating it with new artwork inspired by Lauder’s summers in East Hampton for all ten Jokers and, for the first time, incorporating subtle gold accents into the reimagined Jokers and dragonfly Dragons. The new Joker artwork features nostalgia-inducing scenes that evoke summer with images of bicycle rides, local farm stands, and beautiful gardens.
“Every choice, down to the Aerin Soft Blue colorway, was about honoring Aerin’s timeless sensibility while keeping it unmistakably us,” LaGere explains. “When we started talking through the collaborations, it was clear Aerin wasn’t just lending us a color palette; her brand was bringing their whole point of view on gathering beautifully, which is exactly what we’re obsessed with, too.”
“By combining Aerin’s refined, destination-inspired sensibility with The Mahjong Line’s modern approach to a beloved tradition, the collection transforms mahjong into a whimsical design statement,” Lauder adds. “I hope this collection becomes part of people’s own traditions and summer memories.”
The Mahjong Line x Aerin tile set is available for pre-order now and, in addition to the tiles, includes a light blue vegan leather tile bag, an Aerin Green Wooden Rack & Pusher Set of 4, and a light blue vegan leather rack bag.