On an autumn evening on the Lower East Side, guests gathered at Nine Orchard, once the Jarmulowsky Bank, built in 1912 and carefully restored for travellers and locals alike. The occasion was The Joy of Joining In: The Gentlewoman and TOAST on Participation with Purpose, a panel discussion devoted to community, creativity and the act of taking part.
Hosted by The Gentlewoman, the conversation was led by Editor in Chief Penny Martin, who has held the role since the magazine’s first issue in 2010. Penny guided a conversation with three panellists: Suzie de Rohan Willner, CEO of TOAST; pastry chef and writer Natasha Pickowicz; and Lucy Yu, founder of Yu & Me Books.
Each speaker brought an object that represented the joy of participation for them. Suzie brought a vessel from New Maker Viv Lee, Natasha a digital weighing scale, Lucy her sketchbook, and Penny an Adele T-shirt from a past Gentlewoman event.
The discussion explored participation and purpose through each panellist’s work. Suzie reflected on her decade leading TOAST, having built a loyal and engaged community through her focus on circularity and New Makers. Natasha spoke about Never Ending Taste, her community-focused pop-up, while Lucy described the journey of Yu & Me Books: the first bookshop in New York owned by an Asian-American woman.
Speaking on the purpose that underpins TOAST, Suzie reflected, “I think the world’s changing very quickly. We have a responsibility to the community to help people understand how to enable their garments to last longer. So we design for longevity.” She added, “The colours are muted. You can look at products that were designed 20 years ago that will sit very happily with products designed in the latest collection. After we’ve designed them, we will ask you to come back and repair them in our store. We take great pride in sharing the art of repair with customers.”
As the evening continued, guests shared reflections and conversation. The audience of 100 guests drew from The Gentlewoman Club and friends of TOAST including creative professionals and long-time collaborators. Among those in attendance were writer Andrew Gardner, filmmaker Jeannie Sui Wonders, fashion historian Valerie Steele and floral designer Molly Ford.
Photography by Noa Griffel.
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