Too Good To Be True

Toogood is a fashion brand taking the industry by storm, and in the current issue of Selvedge, Kate Cavendish takes an eagle-eyed view of their utilitarian vision...

Call them postmodern Brontë sisters. Faye and Erica Toogood were born and raised in rural Rutland, UK, without a television, and enjoyed long country walks for entertainment. The girls' imaginations took flight: Faye would collect bits and bobs she'd find along the way, developing her magpie eye into an aesthetic that led to a successful career as a stylist, vitrine dresser, furniture and interiors designer. Erica trained as a pattern cutter, where she learned to dress both private clients and actors in theatre productions. And together the Toogood sisters have created an eponymous line of unisex clothing that embraces an engagingly utilitarian, sculptural point of view.

Faye and Erica refer to themselves as ‘tinker’ and ‘tailor’ respectively, which highlights what each brings to the creative process: Faye focuses on the materiality of the collection, while Erica realises their audacious silhouettes. They further call themselves makers, not designers, emphasising both their craft and the dynamic nature of their practice.

The sisters chose to make their Toogood label ‘authentically’ unisex. Their garments (even the dresses) code neither male nor female, so that the wearers are free to style each piece as they wish. Erica cuts sizes 0-3 on women, and 4-6 on men; some women might size up for an oversized silhouette; some men might size down for a more fitted look. This standardisation is deliberate: Toogood clothing is meant to free its wearer from constraints of gender and fit, so they can focus on being an individual. As Faye said in an interview with Leclaireur, ‘We make objects, we make clothing, and take it to market, like farmers.’...

You can read this article in full in the current issue of Selvedge.