Through our Spring Summer 2025 collection, A Lightness of Being, we explore how embracing a playful approach to life can foster a sense of joy and creativity. “Play allows for an escape from the rigid, through imagination, improvisation and experimentation,” says TOAST Creative Director, Laura Shippey. “We look at how play helps us understand the world, lifts the spirit and brings us closer together.”
Inspired by the kite as a symbol of levity and freedom, we follow its journey from workshop to open skies. Their structure and decorative qualities are translated throughout the collection in geometric silhouettes and soaring print and woven motifs. “Defying gravity, they offer us a way up and out of the everyday,” notes Laura.
Across both womenswear and menswear, we nod to the building blocks of the creative process. Workwear arrives in simple modular shapes, realised in indigo Kuroki denim dyed - woven and finished in Japan - and robust cotton and linen twill. The slow fruits of working by hand are celebrated in kantha-stitched vests and separates with contrasting clamp-dyed and woven lines. Skirts and shirts feature panelled, wrapped and adjustable details, offering a versatility key to playful experimentation. Levity in design is grounded with practicality, as seen in our ongoing collaboration with Dundee-based Halley Stevensons, which crafts waxed cotton for our tote bags, outerwear and plimsoll trainers - elemental pieces ideal for embracing the outdoors.
As the season unfolds, the notion of flight continues, set against expansive skies. In the home, gliding birds are screen-printed on cotton table linen, while potter Ben Hall uses the sgraffito technique to etch his gulls onto functional stoneware ceramics. Quilts and cushions, hand-stitched in India, are arranged in patchwork patterns reminiscent of vintage kites. Elsewhere, dresses, shirts and scarves feature our ribbon print, inspired by kite tails dancing in the air. Sweaters are knit with colour-block motifs that mirror pinwheels spinning in the wind.
Experiments with colour and shape are realised through designs inspired by paper arts. Large scale prints, reminiscent of washi paper collages, are placed on cotton linen dresses, skirts and silk scarves. Structured pleats nod to the precision of origami folds, and in collaboration with Japanese company Decho, we have designed textured hats made from a braided washi paper blend.
A playful approach to life engenders inclusion and communality. As we approach summer we look to collective celebrations, taking in an abundance of pattern and colour. “Communal celebrations allow for ideas to be exchanged, to become part of something bigger than ourselves,” notes Laura.
In pursuing the sights and sounds of collective joy, we find ourselves at the street festival. Vivid checks are hand-woven into lightweight cotton mulmul shirts by skilled artisans in Madhya Pradesh. Easy shorts are block-printed with spirited vertical stripes and bold folk florals pattern cotton poplin dresses. Voluminous pleats create a fluid sense of movement, while a cacophony of colour plays out in garment-dyed linen loungewear with a palette of crushed fruits and blue skies found. In our menswear, vibrant checks are contrasted on shirts and jackets feature bold pinwheel motifs.
“In the home, we look at the importance that play has on our everyday rituals,” says TOAST Head of Home, Judith Harris. “A sense of celebration is clear as we clash checks and stripes with energetic accents of mimosa.” Ceramic tableware, made for dining indoors and out, is handcrafted in southern France by Poterie Barbotine and patterned with bold swirling slip. Hand-woven stripe cushions sit with splattered enamel pieces and recycled coloured glassware as we come together for festivities around the table.
Shop TOAST Spring Summer 2025 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. You can read more about our progress and next steps to make a positive difference to people and the planet in our annual Social Conscience Report.
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