Through our Autumn Winter 2024 collection, Patterns & Pathways, we examine how exploration offers a sense of meaning in an ever-changing world. “This season we reflect on the pursuit of understanding, and how the acts of collecting, mapping and arranging help us to find our place in the universe,” says Head of Design Laura Shippey.
Earthly and grounded, our collection begins rooted in the natural world. A palette of chalky hues and mineral-rich pigments is contrasted with large-scale and loosely arranged botanical prints, which nod to the study of flora and fauna. Vibrant hand techniques like batik and block-printing form patterns that reflect the art of mapmaking, while kantha is hand-stitched with grid formations, reminiscent of lines tracing a pathway.
“Our home collection seeks to connect us with nature in both material and form,” says Head of Home Judith Harris. Textiles feature herbaceous prints and arrive in verdant green shades; swirling marbled glazes are reminiscent of rock formations and traditional terracotta cookware made in Colombia appears as though dug directly from the earth.
Themes of exploration continue with our menswear collection, translated through hard-wearing cotton linen trousers and rubber-toed boots crafted by French shoemaker Paraboot, made for travels on uneven terrain. British waxed cotton jackets feature practical oversized pockets that hint at the life and work of a collector.
As we journey through the season, a simplicity inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe underscores the collection. “We’re drawn to a confident, pared-back silhouette, with soft, simple layers that give an ease of wear,” Laura says. Sculptural shapes are realised in grey flannels and soft wools, while enveloping seams and tie details wrap across the body, evoking an explorer seeking protection from the elements. Relaxed silhouettes give men’s workwear the same sense of fluidity, and pieces crafted from innovative hemp denim and organic cotton corduroy become softer and more supple with wear.
“Over the course of the collection, we move from the earthly to the ethereal,” Laura says. As we turn from the earth to the sky in the pursuit of understanding, celestial exploration is expressed through delicate handcrafts, lustrous fabrics and an energetic palette.
A collaboration with British artist Isobel Harvey sees vivid paintings interpreted across silk pieces. Knitwear is crafted with vibrant hand-dyed twisted yarns by Fair Trade co-operatives in Uruguay and abstract symbols are hand-embroidered in contrasting colours by artisans in India. The hues of bright constellations in a midnight sky sit alongside velvets, hand-batik lunar motifs and shibori resist-dyed silk dresses, a technique which traces back thousands of years.
In homeware, cosmic motifs are realised through textiles and ceramics in a starry palette of blue and gold. Crafted using New Zealand wool, blankets with kinetic patterns reminiscent of sound waves meet hand-marbled paper stationery that nods to a night sky. We continue to work with British potters Frances Savage and Lily Pearmain, whose repeating ripple slipware patterns give a sense of vibrational movement.
Discover TOAST Autumn Winter 2024 Womenswear, Menswear and Home.
Pieces from the collection are intended to be worn with your existing wardrobe, and be loved for years to come. If any of your existing TOAST garments are in need of mending, our free service, TOAST Repair, can give them a new lease of life.
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