Every season tells a story, and our newest season's collection is all about thoughtful simplicity, bringing the outdoors in and digging through a communal closet for the perfect comfy piece. We sat down with Designer Helena (fun fact: she's worked at Toad&Co for 10 years) to learn more about the inspiration for our latest collection.
Toad&Co: We're loving the new Fall '23 line. Where did you get the inspiration for the collection?
Helena: In preparation for this fall, we thought a lot about bringing the outdoors in – from canning summer veggies to shaking up après bevs, and scarfing down homemade bread while playing scrabble... But also being ready to hit the outdoors for a snowball fight or party at the neighbor's at a moment's notice. This season, it's all about living thoughtfully and balancing necessity and function, without sacrificing an ounce of comfort.
Toad: Love this idea of a thoughtful – and dare we say simple (in the best way) – lifestyle. Tell us more about that.
Helena: We were inspired by the idea of the communal closet... Think seasonal family cabin closet – everyone leaves a few layers, there's a good pair of overalls, some random flannels, a few puffies in the mix. It's first come, first serve, and whoever beats the traffic gets the first pick. Somehow it all works itself into the perfect capsule wardrobe; exactly what you need and nothing more for a long fall weekend at the cabin.
Toad: We're here for this family cabin trip. We'll pack the car now... In the meantime, can you tell us a little bit about this collection's color palette?
Helena: We design with colors you can find in nature, and this season, we really leaned into greens and blues. We introduced some nice heritage outdoorsy-feeling colors like Cyan and Aurora, and also played with some unexpected twists in purples (like Storm) and funky yellows (Pike). I'm personally loving the hits of bright pink mixed in with fall colors this season (check out our Samba styles like the Chaka Skirt and Folk Yeah Shirt Jacket in Taffy to see what I mean).
Toad: Love this bold and unexpected palette. How about a few of the styles and collections you're especially stoked on?
Helena: Puffy outerwear! We are so excited about our new Spruce Wood collection of insulated outerwear made from 100% recycled materials. Our Design Director Guin moved to chilly Minnesota, and we decided we needed to make some warmer outerwear that was cute and also performed in those icy winter temps.
We also leaned into a ton of fun fall and winter texture this season, which plays really well off of our customer favorite Samba styles. Think Moss Point Henley Sweater with the Chaka Wide Leg Pants, Foothill Pointelle Hoodie with the Chaka Skirt, or Campo Fleece Vest with the Marley Long Sleeve Tee.
On the pants side, we're super excited to bring some pleated pants into the mix. We're continuing to see proportion play grow importance in outfitting, and adding a little bit of volume to pants via pleats is a fun and accessible way to play with 90s nostalgia.
Toad: Awesome! Such fun updates. On a personal note, what's your favorite style or collection this season?
Helena: The Campo Fleece family is a personal favorite this season, loving the exaggerated proportions and overall 90s nostalgia. This collection was inspired by a vintage, very well-loved, fleece pullover I found while thrifting.
