The Toast of the craft world

British brand Toast strives to make clothes that last; its resident menders even darn, patch and appliqué garments to give worn items extra life. This commitment to craftsmanship is also true of Toast’s homewares, says its head of house & home Judith Harris. “There’s an ever-growing appetite for craft, particularly craft relevant to our modern lives,” she says of the brand’s kitchenware (from £10.50), lighting (from £99) and blankets (from £75) sourced from makers across the globe. 

Working with artisans, however, has revealed huge challenges: from accessing expensive equipment to reaching the right audience. Toast launched its annual New Makers programme in 2019, to give five emerging craftspeople a platform to sell their wares (without taking a cut themselves) and receive mentorship from the Toast team. Past nominees have gone on to publish books, exhibit in galleries and make products for Toast’s own collection. 

Today, Toast unveils its latest class of makers. The resulting capsule – spanning glass vessels, baskets and hand-made oak stools – will be available to buy online and in store until the end of 2024. 

Rosie Stonham

This year, Toast welcomes its first glass artist, Rosie Stonham, whose vases (from £190) are inspired by organs and membranes inside the human body. “The organic forms and surfaces are created by blowing hot liquid glass into moulds made of scrunched wet newspaper,” says London-based Stonham, whose studio is in Somerset. “I constantly build and rebuild the mould through the making process, meaning each piece is unique.” 

Will Nock

In another first, the Makers scheme is showcasing a furniture collection. Will Nock’s bench (£950), chair (£900) and tables (from £420) are made in Cornwall using locally-sourced oak and traditional hand tools. “I try to embrace the natural character of the wood and bring it into the individuality of the piece,” he says, citing St Ives sculptor Barbara Hepworth among his design inspirations. “Will started his work in 2021,” adds Harris. “The level of skill that has been achieved in such a short space of time is astounding.” 

Amy Krone

In 2022, “a lucky find in a used bookshop” led Amy Krone to the practice of Appalachian white oak basketry. Using techniques brought to the US by English settlers, she seeks out “just the right tree” in the Catskills Mountains, cleaves it using an axe and a knife, and works the pale wood into intricate baskets (from £290). Each requires more than 20 hours of labour, says Krone, “so they’ve largely been replaced by flimsy, unsustainable, mass-produced substitutes”.

Polly Liu

London-based ceramicist Polly Liu is inspired by nerikomi, a Japanese technique where different coloured clays are combined to form a pattern. She discovered the process while “searching for ways to showcase clay’s natural beauty, [which is] often hidden beneath glazes.” She has created a series of functional homeware including patterned plates (from £45) and serving dishes (£55), as well as “Chubby” mugs and jugs in simple stoneware clay (from £28). “I hope my work can be part of a routine,” she says, “from the first sip of coffee in the morning to dining with loved ones.”

Kate Semple

Kate Semple was working in Toast’s York branch when she decided to pursue ceramics full-time last year. She creates vessels that evoke ancient coil pots and Morandi paintings, shapes familiar to her as the child of a woodturner and an antiques dealer. “We loved her simple mark making – everything is hand painted in cobalt oxide,” says Harris of the bowls (£35), bottles (£115) and vases (£495) available in the collection. “They are modern but traditional, almost like Roman pots.”