February 2022

Photography: Clare Shilland

" Nature, red in bloom and berry, is tamed and domesticated in our blessed plot. Our palette is bohemian, drawn from plant pigments and dyes - the sweet taste of elderberry and the gentle strength of hazel and ash."

Communique, Collection 016

ERICA'S LIBRARY OF COLOURS

"The way we use colour in Toogood collections will usually come from Faye, through her narrative. My own wardrobe is half black, half cream and I tend to create in a lexicon of neutral tones.

Faye works in an autobiographical way and when we started to build Collection 016, she spoke to me about the idea of a garden and using the colours around us to create the palette - to dig into the kitchen garden for inspiration rather than picking from swatches or colour chips.

My son is now three and I have found myself discovering and enjoying colour through him so I was excited to experiment with a new language for this collection.

Photography: Clare Shilland

I spent days researching and watching videos online, mesmerised by people DIY-dying with all-natural processes and ingredients like turmeric, avocado and pomegranate skins. People in the middle of forests chipping logwood dye off trees, setting a fire with sticks and putting a cauldron on top.

It goes a long way back, using our kitchens to create colour. I experimented with mordants like soy vinegar and gall nut, which is the natural pesticide that an oak tree creates.

Erica's dyed fabric swatches.

I cut up bundles of different fabric to try with each dye: madder, onion skins, logwood an chamomile. The spectrum these materials produce is gorgeous. From elderberry you can create lilac, grey, green, purple, even a yellow tone.

Building the colour palette

From my hob I created a huge library of hues and it had made me connect with colour in such a joyful way. You will see in the collection how beautifully soft the tones are. A softness that suits being in nature."

- Erica Toogood