Our Patch JUNE 2016
Our Patch JUNE 2016
WIN FREE TICKETS!
SPIRIT OF SUMMER
FAIR AT OLYMPIA
COVER
STORY
Spirit of Summer
is packed with
design ideas
Looking good: Milly and
Rebecca with their
panel of tough
testers at home
PICTURES BY JUSTIN THOMAS
CLOTHES THAT IMPROVE
Shepherds Bush mums
put their creations to the
toughest test of all - being
worn by their harshest
users and sternest critics
A
fter testing their
creations out on their
own children, two
Shepherds Bush mothers
have launched a range
of clothing which is
designed to improve with the rough
and tumble of wear.
Rebecca Freeland, 41, and Milly Von
Westenholz, 42, who met at the school
8/9
gates and say their children have all
grown up together, both live off Askew
Road. They call their young fashion
label Toto – the Swahili word for ‘cub’.
“We want to create hard-wearing
yet beautiful clothes for our little cubs
to have fun in,” said Rebecca, whose
trio of Zachy, nine; Harry, eight; and
Marina, six, test the resilience of the
garments.
“They are our wearer trial testers,”
said Rebecca. “If a piece can survive
being worn by this lot, we know it’s
going to last. They are also our biggest
If our clothes can survive
being worn by this lot, we
know they're going to last
critics in terms of the cut and style,
which is incredibly helpful.”
Milly, who also has three children
(Otto, nine; Ferdy, seven; and Albie,
four), said that she and Rebecca had
decided to get weaving now that all
their children are at school.
“We wanted to be the masters of our
own destiny, having come from fulltime jobs which didn’t allow us any
flexibility or the opportunity to flex our
entrepreneurial muscle,” she said.
“The fact our children are all such
good friends helps as it means we can
have meetings as they charge around
the playground.”
Fabrics were sourced from local
shops in Goldhawk Road, designs
drawn up and a Hammersmith-based
manufacturer enrolled. They cut their
WITH AGE
teeth in retail sales by opening a popup shop at the Hepsibah Gallery in
Brackenbury Village. But it’s their
website that is has allowed them to
truly take off as an international brand.
The first Toto clothes were produced
in 2014. “They sold out, which gave us
the confidence to grow,” said Milly.
The Toto mums have produced
a colourful range for the summer,
including a reversible skirt and a
multiple-layered, fully lined dress.
There is also a collection of girls’
swimwear, babygrows for newborns,
shirts, shorts, trousers and swimming
trunks for boys.
The collection conjures up a
Swallows and Amazons era of carefree,
stimulating play, say Rebecca and
Milly, with the aim being to create
ready-towear clothes
that look better
as they are worn.
“Last year we also started a bespoke
service and it’s been a great addition
and has seen us create pieces for
bridesmaids and page boys,” said
Rebecca.
The clothing is sold through their www.
totolondon.co.uk website, and will be
featured in a pop-up shop on Saturday
(June 11) in Ravenscourt park outside cafe
Fait Maison and on Sundays (June 12 &
26) at the Wendell Park Primary school
farmers' market. Toto London will also
have a stand at the Spirit of Summer fair
at Olympia from June 22-25. Visit: www.
spiritofsummerfair.co.uk for more details.
T
he Spirit of Summer Fair
returns to Olympia from
22-25 June, with 450
independent boutique owners and
designers exhibiting... including
our Rebecca and Milly.
Run in association with House
& Garden magazine, the main fair
focuses on fashion and children’s
clothes, artisan food and drink.
But within the show is The
HOUSE Fair, a home and garden
event full of inspiration to
transform your outdoor space.
Artists, furniture makers,
antique specialists, interior
designers, glassware experts,
soft furnishers... every aspect of
home creativity is covered.
And when your feet will take
no more, chill out at the Louis
Roederer champagne bar, or
Mosimann’s summer restaurant.
We have five pairs of free
tickets to give away. Simply
tell us where the Spirit of
Summer Fair is being staged.
Is it: a) The Royal Albert Hall
b) The Shard c) Olympia?
Email your answer with your
name, address and mobile number
to: office@hortonandgarton.
co.uk by 15 June. Usual rules apply.
Visit: www.spiritofsummerfair.co.uk