Hemp on Toast owner Ilona Brinton has made it her mission to create clothing that will allow our self-expression to also become an expression of care and love for the world around us. By creating individually made, hand finished clothing using hemp and all natural dyes, Ilona hopes to not only appeal to our ability for simplicity but to also address the daily need for showing respect and care for the world. Each Hemp on Toast garment is made with love and great care from the sourcing of the dye plants, to the final hand sewn button.
The story behind this company and the process of creating the clothing is fascinating. While studying for a degree in International Development and Anthropology, Ilona discovered her love for clothes making, as well as the world of plant dyeing. She has spent countless hours in her studio experimenting, documenting, and repeating dye processes to achieve the best possible results. Ilona’s creativity, ingenuity, and dedication to perfecting her craft in order to create beautiful, high quality, handmade clothing is truly inspiring!
To create her all natural dyes, Ilona forages for natural ingredients such as walnut husks from nearby trees, and relies on a network of people in her community and beyond to gather ingredients such as onion and pomegranate skins; essentially turning compost into beautiful dyes. It doesn’t get much more eco-friendly than that! Ilona finds great joy in this process and the connection that it creates to nature and with people.
Hemp on Toast garments are also made using… you guessed it. Hemp! By using only 20% of the amount of water needed to grow the average cotton crop, Hemp is definitely an environmentally-friendly choice. What many of us don’t realize is that it is also a very wearable fiber, is naturally antibacterial, and feels great against the skin! Ilona’s goal is to use this sustainable fiber to create appealing clothing, using classic designs, that can be worn day in and day out.
Maturing Mama Blogger Kelly received one of these fabulous garments, and here is what she had to say:
“One of the things that first stood out to me about Hemp On Toast was their mission. At home, I’ve been trying to be more “green” by making small changes in order to be more environmentally friendly. The fact that this company has made an entire clothing range that fits into that category fascinated me. I loved reading about the founder’s passion and how she first came about developing her skills in her own kitchen!
The product I have tried is Ilona’s Travel top, and I am now in love. At first, I will admit I was skeptical as to how the material would feel. I expected a sort of rougher, more starchy experience but I was so pleasantly surprised. The material is actually really soft and so comfortable. It allows the top to drape around you so naturally, it is amazing. As a very busy mother of 2 little ones, it’s the perfect product to grab for those last-minute errand runs. It’s warm, comfortable, and stylish, and I tend to pair it with my skinny jeans and trainers.
Me and washing machines don’t get along well, so I was really scared to give it a wash. It has held up so well! No shrinking or loss of shape or colour.
For me personally, it’s the type of clothing I would wear day to day and will be looking into more. You don’t often find such high quality garments at such reasonable prices.”
In a world full of so much waste and exploitation of natural resources, it is so inspiring and refreshing to come across a company that is so committed to sustainability, simplicity, community, and quality. By experiencing what hemp feels like to wear, and how easy it is to care for; Ilona hopes that her clothing will inspire others to purchase more garments using this incredible but underused fiber.
Please check out this incredible company at https://www.hempontoast.co.uk Use code Hemp Mama for 15% off!
