Exquisitely designed Australian heritage fashion label Toorallie boasts a 200 year history and comes from the best merino wool from the NSW Riverina area.
Statement pieces from their new Winter 2022 kint collection is spun using 100% ethically sourced merino wool, designed in Melbourne and created for a sophisticated, lightweight feel.
The owners are twin brothers, Simon and Steve Smith, who handpick the fleeces themselves and the quality and designs of their fashion pieces are second to none. Each garment looks refreshingly modern and feels as snug as a a warm blanket.
Toorallie has designed loungewear that is a mixture of 78% Merino wool and brushed cotton and the natural fabrics are available in dusty pink, mineral blue, navy and my favourite – the wonderfully Australian colourway – grey Snow Gum.
We caught up with Simon and Steve, who opened their second flagship store in Brighton, Melbourne, prior to the extensive lockdowns in Victoria, and discovered more about their luxury label and new Winter collection.
It’s great to see such modern and classic designs in your Winter collection. What are some of the top-selling designs and colours this season? What are the major trends for merino wool garments?
In our Winter 22 collection, our relaxed fit Alps Cardigan and timeless pieces such as our Kalima Coat (above) and Roll Neck Knit have been popular this season, alongside our merino loungewear pieces (below).
We have seen a rise in consumers taking the time to build their capsule wardrobes over the past few years, which means they are investing in high-quality timeless merino wool styles to create a personal selection of interchangeable pieces that complement one another.
The colourways – dusty pink, mineral blue and snowgum – have a distinctly Australian feel. Was that the plan and how did you decide on your colours?
Yes, that was the plan. The first step when starting to design the new collection was selecting the colour. We wanted to include a lot more neutral tones this season such as WHEAT, SNOW GUM and DUSK – flattering tones that can be worked into anyone’s wardrobe. We also wanted to include a pop colour such as the NEON PINK.
The Toorallie brand is underpinned by our Australian sourced Merino Wool, with the design ethos of ‘practical clothing for the modern person’, so we wanted to build great wardrobe essentials and then add some more interesting, luxury wool pieces around these, that are still very wearable.
What are the benefits of wearing merino wool?
Not only is merino wool a completely natural and biodegradable fabric. But the Merino fibres have a natural ability to breathe and the fibres are highly sensitive to changes in your body temperature which means that a merino wool garment will keep you warm when it is cold whilst adapting to keep you cool when worn in warmer weather.
How do you ethically source your merino wool? Tell us more about how you pick your merino wool including visiting Riverina Farms.
Firstly, we ensure all the farms we source our wool from are RWS approved, this is a voluntary standard that addresses the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on as well as things like the health and safety conditions of their workers.
When selecting our wool, it is important to us to have a personal relationship with the farms. This allows us to visit and hand-select our wool and run it through a quality class check.
We ensure it meets attributes such as the correct length and durability to ensure it will be resilient in both the manufacturing process and provide long-lasting wear for our customers.
We then check that it has deep crimping to provide silky soft fibres for comfort, and lastly we check things like the colour to ensure the sheep are in good health and the wool is up to standard.
What are the key values you adhere to given you are directing a family business with a 200-year heritage?
At Toorallie we are for real people, like our customers we value honesty and reflect an active, modern and accessible lifestyle. We understand our customers by balancing functional design and materials with thoughtful style.
From hiring staff to designing garments we are considerate in all that we do.
We believe in expressing the very best of wool’s natural attributes and we are inspired by Australia’s prized and practical approach to life!
Check out Toorallie’s website here.
