Stylists Natalie Hartley and Lydia McNeill decided to launch their popular upcycling classes for kids as a dual problem-solver.
Firstly, they were fed up with the fashion industry’s textile waste and overconsumption issues, and secondly, their children hated traditional holiday and after-school clubs. Together, they launched their own version – workshops for kids aged from four to 15 that teach them how to reimagine their clothes through sewing, ripping and sticking.
“We are inspiring kids not to throw their clothes away,” Hartley tells us. “We wanted to teach them to reuse what they have, and imparting these values before they reach 10 means that these values should stay with them for life. They need to be taught in fun ways, so they don’t even realise we’re teaching them something. We don’t need facts and figures that scare them; we need inventive ways to inspire them.”
The reception has been hugely positive. Due to popular demand, Chillie Kids Club now operates far beyond its Notting Hill flagship on Portobello Road to pop-ups in various London neighbourhoods, including Leyton, Peckham, Hackney, Clapton and Walthamstow. The duo stage workshops during the school holidays (the half-term line-up is heaving should you need inspiration, including a London Fashion Week workshop at 180 The Strand), as well as after-school clubs and for birthday parties. Hartley and McNeill provide all the tools – second-hand fabrics, a haberdashery bar, hot glue guns, scissors and needles – and an experienced seamstress is on-hand to help bring each child’s vision to life. Each participant just needs to come armed with old clothes for upycling, snacks and water. The clubs are supervised and guidance is given when asked, but all creative decisions are down to the little makers themselves.
“We have been blown away by the response,” says Hartley. “We want to open all over the country because the demand is there. We are kid-led, and the kids do what they want, not what we want. Everyone makes their own design – we can help, but they decide what they want to make. No other club runs like this, so the children feel free and heard. It also means they can truly be creative.”
Chillie London was originally born in 2020 as a pre-loved fashion destination, specialising in streetwear and one-of-a-kind leather jackets. The combined background of the founders – Hartley as a former fashion director with stints at Glamour, Elle and Sunday Times Style and McNeill as an ex-stylist working in personal shopping and retail – meant they were perfectly primed to source unique, desirable treasures that the rest of us might walk by. It quickly attracted a discerning West London clientele, including Lily Allen and Pixie Geldof.
Before long, the duo moved into upcycling, transforming old-school, towelled beer mats into one-off sweatshirts. “We really wanted to stop clothes going to landfill,” explains Hartley. “We are obsessed with reusing old garments. Also, it’s a true way to define your style and wear something unique that no one has.”
Chillie London founders Natalie Hartley and Lydia McNeill
The shop is still very much in operation, but during school holidays it becomes a hub for the children’s workshops. The best part? The kids love it. “They love being given freedom to create what they want,” says Hartley. “They can’t wait to wear the clothes they upcycle and always end up wanting to put on a little show and explain how they designed their old clothes. Some parents say we’ve inspired them to become fashion designers! We love the kids; we never thought we’d be teachers but it’s the best thing we’ve ever done or set up.”
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
Lead image: Chillie Kids Club
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