The great indoors... with James Seaton of Toast
Interview by Judith Wilson
Above: James Seaton
Recent fans of the Toast fashion label may be surprised to see that, alongside the autumn/winter 2007 catalogue, this season there is a new dedicated Toast House & Home catalogue. Yet loyal devotees, who have followed the brand over the last decade, will know that it was in the home sector that Toast’s origins lie. James Seaton, creative director, sums it up thus. ‘Our very first catalogue was selective, offering simple pyjamas, dressing gowns and blankets. With the home collection, we aim to return to that feet-on-the-ground feeling.’ Seaton, who set up the label exactly ten years ago with his wife and business partner, Jess, has always designed pieces to follow his own tastes. The label has become synonymous with natural materials, a softly minimal look and, above all, simple luxury.
When Seaton sat down to design the new home range, the issues of eco and organic were high on his list. He searched long and hard for the right supplier of organic cotton – he describes himself as a magpie and regularly searches the world for new ideas and sources. He eventually found a reliable organic source in India. The core bed linen range (from £9 for a pillowcase) comprises a ticking stripe, a style with organza ribbon trim, and an elaborate pin-tucked and embroidered design. Where does he get his ideas? ‘The idea for the organza ribbon just popped into my head,’ he says. As for the embroidered bed linen, that was inspired by intricate detailing spied by Seaton in the film The Queen. Selected accessories, such as cotton peg bags (from £10), are discreetly described as ‘eco’, because they utilise remnant fabrics from the Toast fashion range.
Look carefully at the new home products, and they are proof that it’s possible to combine a sound ethical philosophy with beautiful, desirable products. Seaton, who originally studied Ancient History and Archaeology, then became a designer and partner for J & J Seaton, a designer knitwear company, has always aimed to design pieces that that are ‘pretty and decorated but thoroughly modern.’ The fashion and home pieces may share a spirit of worn-in comfort, but they are never – as Seaton is keen to point out – just rustic. ‘We are not a country living brand,’ he says. ‘We want to be very twenty-first century.’ The products for this season were photographed in a variety of locations, from Northumberland and Norfolk, to the East End and Paris, and look just as much at home in the city. And for those in search of discreet glamour, there are even sequinned cushions (from £55) in the collection, tucked between the hand-blown glasses and striped tea towels.
Seaton has always championed home-grown suppliers, and he is particularly proud of the new British-made Bricket Davda earthenware ceramics, which comes in delicious soft colours like pumice, heather and taupe (from £19 for a small cup). ‘It is hard to find really nice individual handmade pottery at an affordable price,’ he comments. What he likes about the earthenware, apart from its genuine lightness, is that every piece is slightly different. And it is this sentiment above all that has influenced the entire look of Toast. ‘I love old photographs, film stills and the era when clothes were still hand-made,’ Seaton says. ‘Everything was a little bit quirky, the clothes then had a romance that modern day pieces lack.’ No surprise, then, that the home range even includes honest, simple handmade brushes and dustpans.
As for the new home products, Seaton plans to evolve the collection in the seasons to come. He may even, he muses, take the home collection back into the body of the main fashion catalogue in future editions. ‘Part of the appeal of Toast has always been the mix of fashion and home – it feels good to be doing it again,’ he concludes.
Toast House & Home, 0870 240 5200, www.toast.co.uk