Kids’ knitwear brand Talou has partnered with Mary’s Living & Giving shops – a chain of charity boutique shops across the UK created in partnership with retail expert Mary Portas and Save the Children UK – to launch Paperchains, a five-piece recycled capsule collection for children and parents.

Mary’s Living & Giving stores in London supplied 85kg of unsellable wool and cashmere donations for the collection. A Yorkshire mill transformed the discarded garments into a bespoke recycled yarn, providing a UK-based circular solution for textiles that the stores could not resell due to damage.

According to WRAP figures cited by the brand, the UK throws away 711,000 tonnes of textiles each year, with 49% of used textiles ending up in general waste. Talou will donate 10% of proceeds from the Paperchains collection to Save the Children.

 

 

The five-piece range comprises the Paperchains Jumper and Cardigan for ages 1-12 years, a cable-knit baby blanket, an adult beanie and a Share-With-Me Neckerchief designed for both parent and child.

The capsule builds on Talou’s signature paper cut-out motif. Talou reworked the design as a paper chain to represent children’s creativity and solidarity with children facing crises around the world.

The jumper and cardigan use the same shape as Talou’s bestselling Explorer styles, with rib-knit detailing, a boxy unisex fit and fold-back cuffs intended to extend wear. The brand says the quality of the pieces also supports handing them down or trading them in once outgrown.

Ellie Whitehead, founder and director of Talou, says, “At Talou, we believe in considering every stage of a garment’s lifecycle, from design through to the end of its wearability. Collaborating with Save the Children shines a light on innovative, UK-based circular solutions, while breathing new life into these garments.”

Lynsey Scott, stock generation manager at Save the Children, adds, “Our shop managers and volunteers are always looking for ways to repair or repurpose donations that can’t be sold. We understand how much the environment affects children’s lives, so supporting circular fashion is a great step in the right direction.”

For further information on The Talou x Mary’s Living & Giving for Save the Children Paperchains collection, please click here. For wholesale enquiries, contact ellie@wearetalou.com.