PIP AND HENRY WINS £250K JOHN LEWIS GRANT
Pip and Henry, a sustainable children’s footwear brand, has won the John Lewis Partnership Circular Future Fund of £250,000.
Former insights manager, Jeroo Doodhmal, a mother of one, is the founder and CEO of Pip and Henry, a brand where 80% of all materials used in the shoes are eco-friendly. She was inspired to create her own sustainable children’s footwear brand after being surprised by the number of products needed to raise her daughter.
Pip and Henry is using the £250,000 fund to minimise their environmental footprint even further by investigating two solutions to disrupt the children’s footwear industry. They are planning to develop designs for expendable shoes that will grow with the child, reducing the need to replace them as regularly. They will also explore design options that will allow the shoes to be more easily recycled into their separate materials to reduce landfill waste.
Children typically outgrow shoes every 3-4 months in their early years, an average child owning 15 pairs of shoes over the course of a year. This would total 80 million pairs and 85% of these end up in landfill. These shoes are mainly made of synthetics, plastics and heavily processed materials, causing these shoes to decompose slowly and leach harmful chemicals and toxins into the ground and water over thousands of years.
Doodhmal launched Pip and Henry in December 2021, with a range of shoes perfect for eco conscious children, wanting to inspire her daughter to care about the world around her and reduce waste. She said: “It’s important to me that my daughter sees the difference we are making.”
Jeroo Doodhmal said: “We are absolutely delighted to be one of the John Lewis Partnership Circular Future Fund winners and are committed to putting the investment to good use.” She concluded: “So, I believe the time is ripe for a change in the way this everyday product is made and disposed of, and that’s what set me on the path to build Pip and Henry.”
Pip & Henry is available to purchase on its website www.pipandhenry.com
Prices start from £59.99.
