Craft
Reflecting a dedication to craftsmanship and thoughtful design, we bring together independent makers around the world through our collections and collaborations.
At TOAST, we believe that functional objects, when designed and crafted with care, can enrich everyday experiences. We work with makers to create original fabrics, prints and forms, each with unique character and enduring quality. Every piece is a testament to time-honoured methods, from woven textiles and intricate embroideries to ceramics shaped slowly by hand.
Our collections celebrate techniques from global and historical cultures, as well as the patience and skill of the people who make them. By championing creativity and craftsmanship, we hope to play a part in preserving traditions that might otherwise be lost.
Here, we tell the stories behind our most cherished crafts.
The Story of Our Irish Spinners
The village of Kilcar has been home to Donegal Yarns since the early 1900s; our long relationship with the heritage company is just a small part of its history.
Processes which were once carried out by hand are now performed on a larger scale, blending new technology with trusted traditions. The long-held characteristics of the wool remain intact – notably its textured hand-feel and flecky quality, which is achieved by interlocking different fibres from local flocks.
The Tradition of Ikat Textiles
Our Ikat fabric is hand-woven from cotton yarns which are carefully bound together before being dipped in dye – the areas which are tightly wrapped are protected from the colour, creating unique patterns.
In the village of Yellanki in Andhra Pradesh, India, master weaver Bikshapati Kolaan leads a group of artisans who create our seasonal Ikat fabrics. Meanwhile, our one-of-a-kind Ikat jackets are kantha-stitched and sewn together by women who are part of two Indian cooperatives.
Preserving The Leach Pottery
Widely regarded as the birthplace of British studio pottery, Leach Pottery’s founder Bernard Leach established an aesthetic tradition characterised by hand-thrown, functional pots, glazed in earthy tones.
Roelof Ulys joined the pottery in 2013, today leading a studio of ceramicists and several volunteers. “The Leach Pottery doesn't belong to us,” he says. “It belongs to the generations of potters who have come through here before us and been taught by Bernard Leach.”
Welsh Weaving with Melin Tregwynt
Located on the Pembrokeshire coast, Melin Tregwynt began processing wool towards the end of the nineteenth century. Today, the weaving room remains full of looms producing double-cloth fabrics rooted in the long tradition of Welsh textiles.
First, the warp is formed over two days, before the warp is tied to one of five looms by hand over another two days. It is then mended and sent to Scotland to be finished, finally returning to be sewn into blankets.
The Art of Block Printing
Block printing is a method of patterning textiles which involves engraving a design onto a wooden block, coating it with ink or dye, and pressing it onto a piece of fabric.
The earliest uses of this technique can be traced back to China during the Han Dynasty. In the fourth and fifth centuries, block printing flourished in India and is still valued as a heritage craft. Many of the block-printed patterns featured in our collections are created by artisans in Jaipur.
UK Made Homeware
Expressive ceramics thrown in south London and Pure New Wool blankets woven in Bristol.
