Style with purpose: Pratham UK celebrates incredible four-year partnership with top sustainable clothing brand 'This is Unfolded', funding learning initiatives for children in India

In an exciting collaboration, Pratham UK teamed up with sustainable and socially conscious fashion brand, Unfolded to gain support for Pratham’s educational initiatives for underprivileged children in India. This incredible partnership has combined the strengths and reach of both organisations to drive meaningful change for children’s learning in India and has provided vital resources for two incredible Pratham programmes in Delhi and Gurgaon.

Changing fashion for good – the Unfolded story

Founded by Cally Russell, Jamie Sutherland and Hilde Frydnes in 2021, Unfolded is a trailblazing fashion brand committed to redefining the industry through sustainability and community-driven design. After spending over a decade helping some of the biggest brands reduce their production waste, they decided to found their own brand after collectively feeling frustrated at the industry’s reluctance to tackle the mountains of waste it creates.

Their bold vision even caught the attention of the investors on Dragons’ Den and they are one of the only businesses to have appeared twice showcasing Unfolded’s innovative approach to eliminating waste and empowering both consumers and garment workers. Both times they were offered (and declined due to the terms) funding, receiving hugely supportive comments in the process. Particularly, legendary Dragon, Peter Jones who called their idea, “genius”!

With an estimated 30% of new clothes made each year not being sold, creating 26 billion wasted items going to landfill, the fashion industry has needed a changemaker like Unfolded to challenge the status quo. While fast fashion creates 2% of the worlds’ greenhouse gas emissions, at Unfolded they make clothes without the waste or unnecessary emissions and use the savings to offer higher wages for garment workers and fund learning programmes through Pratham for children living near their factories in India.

A new era of fashion: conscious, custom and community-driven

By creating clothing only once orders are placed, Unfolded eliminates waste and reduces environmental impact, a striking alternative to fast fashion.

Their unique model also empowers customers to play a key role in the design process, collaborating on everything from prints to materials. This approach not only delivers exclusive, limited-edition collections but also fosters a vibrant community of engaged supporters, 8,500 dedicated Unfolded members helped to design their most recent collection.

Their collaborative process allows customers to provide feedback on prints, materials, and styles at every stage of development, with the result being that each new collection reflects the tastes and values of the very people who wear them.

A brand-new collection featuring around 20 new clothing pieces is released every two to three months to reflect the changing seasons and needs of customers – with their ‘Collection 14’ newly launched in time for spring!

Supporting Pratham’s mission through every item sold

With every purchase of This is Unfolded clothing, you’re not only buying a beautiful outfit but you’re also helping support a child’s future.

Thanks to the incredible support from Unfolded’s community, Pratham has been able to run two learning programmes in Delhi and Gurgaon. These initiatives focus on strengthening foundational learning and bringing communities together to support children’s education. By working closely with schools, children’s groups, and mothers’ groups, Pratham is creating a more inclusive and engaging learning environment, ensuring that every child has the chance to achieve academically.

Children like seven-year-old Varsha who migrated to the Gurgaon area to enable her father to seek out work. With her mother absent, Varsha took on the heavy burden of household chores and caring for her younger sibling whilst her father was at work, making formal education seem like an unreachable dream. Hindered further by a lack of awareness of support available, difficult family circumstances, and missing documentation after moving to a new state.

That changed when Varsha joined the Pratham Learning Centre. The centre became more than just a place to learn, it became her sanctuary. Offering her stability and encouragement. Slowly, she began to emerge from her shell, learning to recognise letters, phonetically read simple words, and grasp basic addition. Education, once out of reach, was now a source of joy and empowerment.

Beyond academics, the learning centre also helped transform Varsha’s home life. Through monthly parent-teacher meetings, Pratham’s teachers counselled her father, leading to a shift in his attitude towards education.

Today, Varsha is one of 200 children at the centre who continue to learn, grow, and strive for a brighter future. With the support of the centre’s supervisors and teachers, her documentation, her Aadhar card and family ID were soon completed, opening the door for her to enrol in the formal education system – the key to a new beginning.

Unfolded Co-Founder, Cally Russell, said: “We knew Pratham were doing amazing work helping children get and stay in education but visiting India and the educational centre was truly special. To see how our customers support is helping fund this centre and just how big an impact this has on the children was both humbling and inspiring all at once. Accessing education is the key to unlocking a better future and it’s amazing to partner with Pratham to do just that. A small change from our customers really does change the world for the children supported.”

Nick Sankey, Executive Director of Pratham UK, shared his enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are thrilled to partner with This s Unfolded! This collaboration has enhanced our ability to reach more children and create lasting change in their lives. We are grateful for Unfolded‘s commitment to supporting our educational initiatives and look forward to the positive impact we will continue to achieve together.”

Together, we can empower children across India through education, one garment at a time. Visit Unfolded to get your spring and summer wardrobe ready!

If your company would like to discuss partnering with Pratham UK, please email Pratham UK’s Executive Director, Nick Sankey: nick@pratham.org.uk.