Irish social enterprise launched online shop for preloved kids clothes to aid local causes and reduce waste

May 2021

Topic

Newly launched website sells used kids’ fashion items in Ireland to save them from landfill and help raise funds for local charities, schools and clubs.

COVID-19 has closed charity shops and other discount outlets; however, it has not stopped children from growing.

Nancy Ward, former PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) Chair and a lifelong fundraiser, saw the need for COVID-friendly fundraising in Ireland and created Kids Klothes social enterprise to close the gap.

They launched their website to sell preloved children’s clothes to aid local charities while offering affordable buying options for parents to cut costs and help reduce waste.

Nancy Ward, Founder of Kids Klothes Irish social enterprise

“Most kids’ clothes fashion trends don’t change that much.

These items involve bright or pastel colours with fun animal and or cartoon images.

These pieces will always be ‘cool’ to wear.

And retro is always in fashion.

This idea has been in the making for a while, and we are thrilled to swing open the doors, virtually of course, to welcome and support our customers,” says Nancy Ward, founder of Kids Klothes.

Aimed at Irish families, they encourage people to get involved and raise funds for local charities, schools, clubs through collecting and selling kids clothes and shoes.

They provide support in creating promotional materials for fundraisers and take care of the collection and sales and give back 50% of proceeds on items sold monthly for up to 6 months.

All items available online have been donated to the shop, and to ensure safety, they are kept for a two-week ‘COVID cool off’ period.

There is a great variety of options from ‘new with tags still on’ which have never been worn; ‘like new’ that was worn once or twice, and ‘preloved’ items which show a bit of wear but have more life to be lived.

“Preloved is part of a sustainable movement to help save our planet from the deluge of clothing that goes into landfills each year.

Kids Klothes is allowing those clothes to have a second or third go at life.

The additional benefit of buying from us is that part of the proceeds goes to a local club, school, or charity for their work to support children.

We look forward to expanding the number of organisations we can support with their fundraising efforts as Kids Klothes continues to grow,“ Wards explains.

Parents can easily find quality items, including lots of big brands, and there seems to be something for everyone with more than 600 items listed online and more being added daily.

There is a range of sizes in clothes and shoes from 0 to 12 years, and prices reflect the condition of the item and the brand with prices ranging from €1 to €15 per item.

This option is great for everybody, those who clear out the wardrobe, those we fundraise for, and those who need to purchase items at value pricing while saving the planet from a sustainability perspective.

Headline image: Max Schwoelk from Pexels