We sat down with Ellie Whitehead, founder of Talou, to explore how her experience as a fashion insider and new mother inspired the creation of a thoughtful, circular childrenswear brand rooted in sustainability, creativity, and conscious parenting.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind founding Talou and what makes it different from other baby and children’s brands?
Talou was born from a desire to create a shopping experience for parents and kids that was guilt free and joyful. My founder story began as a new parent of twins. I noticed that most parents around me wanted to make sustainable choices for their kids, which is not an easy thing to do when children outgrow their clothing so quickly. As an adult (with 10 years experience in the fashion industry) I have become firmly committed to quality over quantity in my own wardrobe. With Talou, I wanted to create a fresh take on fashion for kids. One that emphasises longevity, quality, and above all celebrates the joy and creativity of children.
Talou is proudly a circular business. For those unfamiliar with the term, what does circular fashion mean, and how does Talou put this into practice?
Circularity is our north star. Every design decision we make is guided by circular fashion principles. This means that where traditional business models operate on a take - make - waste approach to production, we look to operate on a circular model, where waste is taken back into the business and everything is made to be remade, recirculated and recycled.
For Talou, this means that we design every garment with the end of its lifecycle in mind. We do this by designing with wool, which is an innately circular material due to its biodegradability and recyclability. We also work to circulate the clothing that we make through our buy back scheme, where we offer to buy back items or trade up for another size. This helps our customers make sustainable parenting choices, by allowing them to invest in high quality and longer lasting clothing for their growing little ones.
Finally, we are aiming to take as little raw material from the earth as possible. Our debut collection, The Explorer Knitwear, is made from deadstock yarns, meaning its made from yarn that would otherwise have been wasted. Our aim is to help parents make sustainable parenting choices, by offering a fresh take on circular fashion for kids.
Why was sustainability such a core part of your mission from day one?
Having worked in the fashion industry for 10 years prior to having kids, I was able to see from the inside the gravity of our overconsumption and the huge amount of waste created by the industry. Having my own babies was an eye opener too. As any parent will know, part of parenting is constantly clearing out clothing to make way for growth spurts. I wanted to make eco-conscious choices for my kids and at that time I felt the options were lacking in the industry. It was difficult to find beautiful, sustainably produced baby clothing that I felt reflected my kids sense of fun and adventure. Talou was born from a desire to solve some of these problems for eco-conscious parents.
Your collections are beautifully made and designed to last. How do you ensure longevity in both the quality and design of your products?
Thank you, that’s so lovely to hear! My biggest goal when designing our debut Explorer Knitwear range was to create long lasting, high quality baby and kids clothes. Slow fashion for children is a difficult concept, as they wear clothing for such a short time. I invested my time in finding ways to ensure the longevity of the garment, so it could be worn as long as possible by one child, then traded in or passed on to another. Primarily, this means high quality yarns knitted in our partner studio in London to the highest quality - I truly believe our kid’s knitwear is the best out there and its set to last for many, many adventures with little ones.
Design details also factor into the longevity of the garment. Our kid’s jumpers and cardigans are designed to work as an outer layer in spring/summer and layered under a coat for winter. They also have a straight boxy cut that allows the child to grow within it - they look equally cool oversized as they do tighter and cropped, allowing for several years’ wear. The fold back cuffs allow extra growth room in the arms too.
Can you walk us through the process of creating a Talou garment from design to delivery?
From day one I was committed to creating an ethical supply chain for Talou. I design the products myself (I’m based on the Kent coast). Our yarns are surplus stock from a mill in Yorkshire, that has been operating for over two hundred years. I’m committed to eco-friendly manufacturing, and using deadstock yarns ensures that all products are made in very limited runs, which reduces waste.
The yarns are sent to our small partner studio in London, who knit the products in small quantities. They are then sent to me to pack and send out to our customers.
You offer a Buy Back service. How does this work, and why was it important to introduce this into your business model?
Once your child has grown out of their jumper or cardigan, we ask that you send in a photo and we offer either cash or a discount against another purchase, based on 3 price bands that refer to the quality of the garment.
I wanted to implement the baby and kid’s clothing buy back scheme in order to help reduce waste, while taking responsibly for recirculating the garments we have produced. Hopefully our circular clothing model makes life a little easier for parents to make eco conscious choices for the baby or kid’s wardrobe.
Many of your customers are new parents. What feedback do you receive most often about Talou’s products?
I’ve been really happy to see that the most feedback we get is on the quality of our knitwear. Also, wool has a bit of a reputation as being itchy, so we use super soft merino wool to ensure our products are truly soft baby essentials. We have had customers telling us they have requested them as new baby gifts. It’s brilliant to hear that the quality of our knitwear is trusted by parents.
How do you source your materials, and what makes them more sustainable than traditional babywear fabrics?
Sustainable fabric sourcing is a key factor in our design process. We have made a commitment to only use fabrics and materials that are natural, durable, and that lend themselves to recycling, remaking and ultimately biodegrading. Wool is the perfect circular textile and has been the perfect starting point for the brand. Our Explorer Knitwear range is made from high quality deadstock yarns sourced in Yorkshire, meaning these items are effectively made from waste.
My long term goal is to make textile recycling a constant within the business. We are currently working on a pioneering range with Mary’s Living and Giving for Save the Children. They have collected any unsellable wool and cashmere products donated to their charity shops in the UK. This feedstock is being sent to Iinouiio, the UKs only wool recycling plant, to be made into yarns which we will use for a new range of knitwear. A 100% recycled range using deadstock from UK charity shops feels like a new and exciting approach to ethical textile sourcing, and its one I aim to integrate into the company on a long term basis.
What are your favourite pieces from the Talou range right now and why?
My founder picks would be the Explorer Jumper and Cardigan, and my current favourite is the Red. These are timeless baby and kids fashion items that can be worn again and again, and make an ideal baby gift as the receiver has the option of trading in as they grow, allowing the child to keep wearing quality wool clothing for longer.
What advice would you give to other parents who are trying to shop more consciously for their children?
I think its really difficult to build a completely sustainable wardrobe for a child, as they grow so quickly. My first tip would be to go easy on yourself and make conscious choices where you can, knowing that most mass market products aren’t geared towards sustainability and longevity at this moment in time.
I always keep the word longevity in my head when shopping for my kids. I look for shapes that can be worn oversized as well as tighter (dresses, t-shirts and jumpers fit the bill here). Where I need to buy from the high street, I look for options that grow with them, like extendable or elastic wastebands.
That being said, there is a growing community of conscious baby and children brands in the UK, ranging from vintage and second hand sellers to small brands with innovative ideas. I would also recommend rental services like Bundlee or Or Collective for conscious baby and kids essentials.
As a founder, what has surprised you the most on your journey so far with Talou?
The best thing about my start up journey so far has been the openness of the founder community in the UK. I’ve had some serious support from fellow entrepreneurs who I have met through Talou, whether that be in the form of collaborations, shout outs or even lessons in sustainable business. Being in the fashion business, I have mainly met female founders, who are particularly great at holding each other up.
What’s next for Talou? Are there any exciting plans or new launches we should keep an eye on?
We have lots going on behind the scenes that I’m really excited about. This autumn watch out for sizes up to age 12, as I have had so many requests for bigger sizes. Our recycled wool project with Mary’s Living and Giving for Save the Children is well underway, and you can follow our journey on instagram. Our upcoming recycled kids and baby clothing collection will be launched next year. We are also working on the launch of The Talou Creative Playbook - an innovative collaboration with an independent illustrator that will be free to download on our website.
From pioneering recycled wool collections to empowering parents with more sustainable choices, Talou is more than just a baby brand, it's a movement we're proud to support at Mash + Mint. Follow Talou on Instagram
