Cool Hunting

After noticing a killer one-piece jumpsuit called the "Conchord" online we asked ourselves, “Who would make such a great piece?” Below are the answers we got back after exchanging a few emails full of intrigue and wit with one of the founders (Todd) of the clothing line Toddland. It's the story of a little company that started with a bunch of friends wanting to make things from ideas that existed only in their heads.

Who are you?
Who are you? We don't know you. We aren't supposed to talk to strangers. Accept candy, yes. Talk to, no. We are a handful of friends that just want to make rad stuff. We were all making rad things together for our friends at Paul Frank, then decided it was time to make rad stuff for ourselves. We all loved the stuff that we grew up with from our childhoods and don't see why we can't bring some of that magic back. It's just clothes, not rocket science. It's a tee shirt, we're not changing the world. But if we can make things that make people happy, that's great. (Oh, and did we mention charge them for it?) We are a tiny group of friends doing what we do, it just so happens that we're designers, photographers and artists and thought it was time to share our little world with everyone.

What is the brand about?
Nachos. And making things that we think are rad and want our friends to have. We have a rule, rad goes with rad. It doesn't really matter if its a jumpsuit, roller skates, a painting of a water skiing squirrel. If its rad, it fits in our little world. (And feel free to roller skate with your jumpsuit on, carrying a painting of a water skiing squirrel. We do it all the time, its called Tuesday.) We stick to everything being priced at where our friends can buy it. Our tees are $28 and we throw in rad for free. We appreciate and love vintage, but decided it was time to offer people an option that doesn't involve the possibility that A) someone died wearing it; B) it's haunted; C) it smells like patchouli oil; or D) all the above. Plus our stuff fits, good luck finding that in a thrift store.

Where can readers get your goods?
We only sell to our friends and stores that "get" what we are all about. Purveyors of radness in California include Fred Segal, Villlains San Francisco, Thalia St in Laguna Beach, Wolf in Venice, and Hobie. We also sell at service in Austin, and Urban Outfitters nationwide. We are adding a bunch of new stores for fall though, so check out our online site in July for more places to track stuff down. The only place to find every piece is our online store. We accept all major credit cards and cookies. And by cookies, we mean credit cards. But we're not kidding about cookies, we're totally not above eating baked goods from strangers.

Why did you start a company?
Because I didn't want to shave my beard and I like wearing shorts and a sweatband to work everyday. Oh, and because this is America. Somebody told us they take away your citizenship if you don't start a clothing company at least once. So yeah, it was either start Toddland or move to Canada. USA! USA! USA! USA! Maple syrup wreaks havoc on the bearded.

When will the new collection be out?
The second part of spring is shipping out of the cardboard forest (our warehouse) right now and we just put it up online today. Summer will be out at the end of May, then a whole bunch of new stuff for fall will start popping up in stores in the middle of July.