The Story of a Blanket
We started with a question:
What happens to your clothes after you drop them in the charity bin at the supermarket?
Some are given a second life - folded neatly into someone else’s wardrobe and worn with love.
But many - especially things like wool blankets - don’t make it that far.
They’re too bulky. Too ‘granny’. Too imperfect.
They don’t suit the resale rails. Not trendy enough for vintage. So they get passed along, again and again - until eventually, they’re shredded, burned, or shipped halfway across the world.
Best-case scenario? They become insulation.
Worst case? Landfill.
Once we knew that, we couldn’t ignore it.
So we asked another question:
What if we gave them a better ending - and a new beginning?
From Lab to Life
That was the spark behind the Wool Blanket Project - the first idea to hatch from our new creative space, Palava Lab. Based at the Hatchery, it’s where we’re exploring bold new ways of making—starting not with a blank slate, but with what already exists.
Wool blankets seemed like a perfect place to begin.
They’re everywhere once you start looking - tucked at the back of airing cupboards, stacked in secondhand shops, handed in at textile banks. Strong. Warm. Beautiful in a quiet, often overlooked way.
We started gathering them in October 2024. Some were soft bedding blankets in delicious pastels. Others had bold checks, worn labels, and decades of use stitched into their fibers.
And we began to make.
Not by hiding the flaws, but by working with them.
We used visible mending techniques to highlight the stories in the fabric - a testament to the life it’s already lived. Each mark, each patch, each careful stitch becomes part of the narrative. Like much of our clothing at Palava, these coats often become conversation starters - pieces that are not just worn, but shared. Personal, imperfect, and all the more beautiful for it.
When a blanket was too worn in places, we paired it with another—letting the contrast shape the design. And because they spread beautifully across our cutting tables, we could cut several pieces at once, keeping things efficient while using as much of the material as possible.
The result?
Coats with character. Each one completely unique. Each one with a past - and now, a future.
A Second Life, A Better One
The first collection - our summer coats, made from lighter-weight blankets - is here now. Tactile, joyful, and quietly bold, they’re the kind of pieces you don’t just wear- you connect with them.
But this is just the beginning.
Next, we’ll be inviting you to take part.
If you have a blanket tucked away-an heirloom, a hand-me-down, a forgotten favourite - we’d love to give it new life. To transform it into something you can wear, keep, and pass on. Something with your story woven in.
Because the world doesn’t need more stuff.
It needs more meaning.
Stay tuned - there’s more to come
