As a mum of 2 on a maternity budget, I used to dream of being able to shop for beautiful clothes for my children. I would wander through charity shops and find some fantastic bargain's, but shopping with 2 under 2 is no fun, and I longed for an easy place to click for what I needed, with the ease of having it delivered to my home.
Sprogs Togs has been a dream for over 5 years now, and during this time I have quizzed friends over coffee and probably bored many of them with my plans. I researched the clothing industry, looked at the financial and environmental cost of new clothing, the impact the demand has on the environment, and slowly observed more and more cheap, fast fashion operations emerge. It was the knowledge of the reality behind our pair of jeans or our new pair of shoes, that really spurred me on to finally launch Sprogs Togs UK Ltd.
We launched on the 1st March 2020, just before a global pandemic, but have been working hard since September 2019 to collect the hand checked and selected stock and build trusted charitable partnerships. Sourcing stock from local parents, friends and some from charity shops. Whilst waiting for the website to be built there was much laundering, steaming, photographing and uploading of the stock before launch.
We also managed to collect many items of clothing for distribution overseas, focusing on the refugee crisis over the winter of 2019/early 2020. Over 500 items went out to Yemen and another 150 to Greece. This was all down to the wonderful work of Together 100, and their volunteers. We collected and delivered the items for shipping.
Locally, we discovered Stripey Storks baby bank. Stripey Storks collects items in need and distributes to families through social services and other social support avenues. We wanted to donate items on their wish list each month from the stock we didn't sell. So far, we have given Stripey Storks 200 items, thanks to our clients’ kind donations.
We now also have direct contacts that we are thankful to support, again through the kind donations from our clients.
More recently we have partnered up with a local textile business, where we can go to have buttons and zips repaired, so that this does not prevent us from taking items on, simply because they have a small defect that could easily be fixed. This, as well as now accepting most brands of clothing, we are well on the way to making a large difference in the way we think about shopping and the utilisation of clothing.
Many of us will attempt to sell our clothes on eBay, Facebook or other available marketplaces, we give away some to our friends and we take to the recycling centre, in the hope they will be reused and turned into stuffing for furniture, other uses. It all takes a lot of effort, and understandably for a lot of people, they simply don't have the time. That is where Sprogs Togs can support when it comes to children's clothes and shoes. We take the pain away from reselling and do the hard work for you. It’s simple and it makes a difference. The hope is that we will be able to expand into maternity wear and adult clothing and accessories very soon. Watch this space!
Our next venture, is to join up with schools across the UK where we can support parents by selling on their preloved clothes, and with every sale the school will receive a donation to put towards their own needs, or that of their chosen charities.
Preloved is now a choice for my family. When we do buy new, we buy quality items from sustainably responsible businesses and minimally, but mostly we buy preloved items. Giving clothes a longer life, does make a difference. Where as before, we would have bagged up our clothes and taken them to a charity shop, we now think differently. Recently we had over 15 bags for life full of donated items or clothes of ours. We condensed them down to 1 bag that will go to textile recycling, a bag of bra's that will be sent to a charity working in Africa protecting young girls, and then clothes that we were able to donate to local families and a city hub where families who are struggling can go and find clothes for their use for free.
We will be producing a list of ideas and links to UK organisations that can help you do the same very soon, as well as continuing on with reselling beautiful clothes and brands that are accessible to all.
In the meantime you can read our blogs on sustainable fashion, fast fashion, some interesting environmental publications on the fashion industry and tips on how you can make a difference, simply by thinking more before bagging up your preloved clothes and placing them in a clothes bin.
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