Toast scales back collections by 20% as part of sustainability roadmap

Slow fashion brand Toast has revealed that it produced 20% fewer styles per collection and reduced the number of product drops from six to four, as part of its sustainability efforts published in its 2020/2021 Social Conscious report.

Toast said that by moving away from the traditional seasonal fashion calendar it hoped to reshape buying habits, advocate for quality and longevity and reduce waste. The brand had also started placing smaller buys and managing the flow of stock with smaller frequent orders to maximise its sell-through rate and minimise discount. Its Made to Order range, made up of seasonless edit of transitional womenswear, accessories and homeware pieces, meanwhile had been temporarily put on hold due to low demand and logistical challenges.

Another waste management strategy the brand outlined was selling its unused fabrics in its London Notting Hill shop to inspire customers to create their own projects. It said it would monitor the sales of this to see if would roll this out across more stores in the future. To avoid clothing from being incinerated or shredded Toast said it would use archive sales and outlet stores to sell excess stock.

Tapping into customer appetite for re-sale, the brand also launched Toast Circle, with more than 1,500 swaps recorded despite being on pause throughout 2020 due to the pandemic, showing an overwhelming community response. It had also invested in a wider team of repair specialists to offer free repairs to customers, and had to date fixed 914 items in an effort to increase clothing longevity.

Suzie de Rohan Willner, CEO, Toast said: "For 25 years, TOAST has championed a slow and considered way of life. As a responsible business, we want to leave the environments and communities we touch improved upon by our conscious actions. Global clothing consumption continues to rise, and while our human consumption creates jobs and growth in developing nations, it also has an enormous environmental and social cost. In the face of a global pandemic, we took the time to reflect on our practices and articulate our approach to sustainability. As a result, we have created a roadmap that reflects our purpose and values by addressing social and environmental issues."