SS26 as told by Home Grown. The brand’s new collection lands at our Carnaby Street store this season with an exclusive in-store takeover. Expect check prints, denim washes, plus boxy cuts, layers, and shorts for every occasion. There’s more…

Transforming the storefront into a live creative space, fine artist and illustrator @tolidrewit aka Toli reimagines our Carnaby Street window with his distinct visual design rooted in bold colour, expressive forms and contemporary pop culture. We spoke to Toli during the paint-up to get insight into his process, storytelling, what inspires him and more.

Tell us a bit about yourself…

“So I’m originally from Kosova, I came to England when I was 3 years old, and I’ve been drawing since I can remember. I was the kid who would draw instead of paying attention in school. My actual name is Mentor, but my family have always called me Toli for short my whole life, so choosing to go by that as my artist name came naturally. I’ve got cousins who didn’t even know my name wasn’t Toli until they were about 15! Like I said, I’ve been drawing and creating art for as long as I can remember, but only really started to pursue it as more than just a passion about two years now.”

Your artwork has such a bold, distinct style. How did you settle into that?

“Through cartoons mainly, they have always been a big part of my life, and they still are, to be honest. As a kid, I would redraw the characters that I would see and really like. Then in school, college and work I’d just keep drawing. I’ve gotta thank my friends and girlfriend for that, who really pushed me to do what I love and put my work out there. I’ve worked on various mediums, but my favourite is digital illustrations/working on my iPad. I think it gives me an extra bit of freedom that I really appreciate.”

Did you have any inspiration for the Carnaby Street window?

“At first I created a bit of a mood board based on the images from the Home Grown instagram, I wanted to capture a feeling true to the brand. I felt like incorporating a local street with graffiti on it, whilst being able to see the tall London buildings like Canary Wharf, really captures London as a city. I went through a lot of artists online and how they use posca markers to make really bright, bold artwork on windows. So that’s the material I used and then gave it a scratchy and colourful stylised finish to really make it stand out, but feel like it belongs on Carnaby Street.”

How does working on a live/public piece differ from creating work in the studio?

“I’m used to working on my own in a quiet space, maybe have some music or a podcast on, always working without distractions. That’s pretty hard to do whilst you’re drawing on a window in Carnaby Street and people walking by are taking pictures or staring at you! I thought it would be a little intense, but it was actually really cool, seeing people give me a thumbs up as they walked by or tell me how cool it looks anytime I stepped outside for a break felt really rewarding.”

“There was a couple outside who said they’d been there all day watching me work whilst they had a drink. It was nice to be able to speak to people about the process and to see the appreciation of doing a piece in reverse and live. A huge thank you to the staff at size? who were also really nice and supportive. They made the whole thing enjoyable. Shout out to whoever was DJing that day because the songs were keeping me going!”

Does fashion, music or street culture influence your work?

“All of them play a role in my work and they all influence my work greatly. They’re all forms of art within themselves. A lot of the time, my work is inspired by a new song I listen to, or more recently, I’m doing a piece based on a photoshoot I saw for a brand! Just because of how cool and different it looked. Street culture, I’d say, has the biggest influence in my work, as someone who’s been living in East London since I was three years old, it’s been a part of everyday life and something I’ve been immersed in. So when I tell stories in my work, it’s always there. From scenery, to what my characters wear, to what music I use when I post my work. It all blends together.”

Do you have a favourite detail in the window people should look out for?

“The fire hydrant! The pink and blue highlights on either side make it look so cool, I’m going to incorporate that into a future piece for sure. I also loved doing the Home Grown logo in this splattered, leaking paint effect on the wall.”

Lastly, what’s your favourite piece from the Home Grown collection?

“It’s hard to chose, I really like the grey T-shirt I wore while doing the piece on the window, but I also really like the Dover 1/4 zip checkered jacket. It’s so clean. The colours and fit are what made it stand out for me.”

Home Grown x size? sessions

Alongside the takeover, Home Grown x size? sessions will soundtrack the space with a listening set bringing together laid-back sounds and community energy from @f3miii on 28/05. 

Dublin-based producer and vocalist Femi has built a reputation for his melodic sound, soulful vocals and genre-blending production. Originally starting out singing in gospel choirs, he’s since developed a sound inspired by alternative R&B, soul and contemporary electronic music.

With appearances at Forbidden Fruit Festival and Ireland Music Week already under his belt, Femi continues to build momentum through sold-out shows – it’s no surprise that he’s been featured on Spotify editorial playlists, marking him as one to watch across the UK and Ireland scene, in our opinion. 

Stay tuned for more info on size? sessions on Home Grown’s socials. For now, you can head down to the space at Carnaby Street to experience the takeover and mural up close, plus shop the brand-new SS26 collection in-store.