Our story

It started with cloth nappies. My first born was a few months old and I’d started to be more concerned about my environmental impact (plus they look so cute!). I was worried that he would turn to me in twenty years and ask why I hadn’t done anything about the climate crisis. So I started with the nappies, then cloth wipes, then shampoo and soap bars, a metal razor, a wooden washing up brush…. But it didn’t feel like enough.

Then I watched the Minimalism documentary and something clicked. At the time I was drowning in cheap plastic toys and cheap baby clothes. I realized that I needed to make a change and it wasn’t so much about what eco things I bought, it was about what I didn’t buy. I started to declutter and I loved the freedom and clarity it bought. I donated/sold a lot of my clothes and really enjoyed having a capsule wardrobe and not buying new.

But it wasn’t so easy when it came to my son’s clothes as I had to keep buying as he grew. By this time I had another baby to look after and even though I’d saved all my son’s clothes for her, as they were born at different times of the year, most of them weren’t suitable. I didn’t want to buy cheap new clothes after watching documentaries like The True Cost and finding out about the impact the fashion industry has on the planet and the conditions of many of the workers. But when I tried to shop secondhand, I found a mass of stained, poor quality clothes that I didn't want to dress my baby in. And it just wasn't sustainable (or that affordable) to buy 30 different items from different sellers on Vinted every three months!

Turning to more environmentally-friendly new clothes, I found loads of premium sustainable brands that I was desperate to dress my baby in, but a whole wardrobe of these just wasn't affordable. And in fact I didn’t want to own something I only needed for a few months and then have to donate/sell/recycle it. And so Borro was born.

The idea came at a time when I was looking for more meaningful work – a way to help with the climate crisis, so sustainability is the bedrock of the company. I’m still on my journey (believe me, I still have a lot of plastic toys I wish I didn’t!) but I hope in a small way I can help build the sort of society I want my children to grow up in.