What a Palava!
Who's behind the brand ?
Palava may look big but we are a small team of 7 all together. Split between London and Yorkshire it's a creative bunch!
Founder, illustrator and creative director Bryony Richardson set up the brand 15 years ago
"I love colour prints and anything old. I can’t spell for toffee, I’m as Scruffy as a cucumber.
Wanting to put my energy towards something greater, I moved home to Teeside to takeover a my parent’s dormant business Poppy. Between 1980 and 2000 they had seen a whole industry change and UK manufacturing disappear.
I had a dream to start where they had stopped. I was determined to make in the UK and keep the industry going. It wasn't easy - no one wanted to take a risk making for someone at the start of their journey. But we got there eventually.
I made all children’s clothes at the start, with a few lucky breaks selling to Fortnum and Maison, Harvey Nichols as well as travelling around every county fair I could get a pitch at. It was tough!
The internet was not what it is now. Then we were forced to change our name! I thought it was game over but we pulled through and that’s how we got the name Palava. Now I love our name and it’s a reminder of the journey we’ve been on. What a Palava!
Now I’m getting older, the world again seems more challenging than ever. This year has been a tough one. Business has not been easy and we’ve seen lots of businesses we love go under.
Now is the time to support your favourite independents. "
It's not about fashion
It’s not about disposable clothing.
It’s not about short term but long term
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
It’s about the way things are made.
It is about knowing each person who makes our clothing.
Supporting other British manufacturers and makers
It is about doing things in the best way possible
We’re proudly obsessed with British wool.
The more you wear wool, the more you fall in love with it. It’s natural, local, and time-honoured — proof that warmth, durability and sustainability can go hand in hand.
Five years ago, we set out to understand why British wool wasn’t being used more widely. Back then, it was undervalued and often overlooked, while many brands imported wool from the other side of the world. We wanted to challenge the old idea that British wool was too coarse for clothing — and we did. By working with different blends, we’ve been able to create knitwear that is soft, strong and made to last.
Choosing British wool keeps production close to home, supports farmers and mills, and cuts carbon miles. It’s renewable, biodegradable, and designed by nature to endure. For us, using British wool isn’t just about making beautiful clothing — it’s about restoring value to a forgotten resource and proving that slow, thoughtful making has a future.
there’s no such thing as waste
— only potential.
We see waste as the beginning of something new — every scrap has value, nothing is thrown away, only reimagined.
It’s easy to overlook the waste that comes with making clothes.
We cut carefully. We order smartly. But inevitably sometimes there’s still leftover fabric.
We collect our offcuts and give them a second life:
- Some go into craft bundles that raise money for charity.
- Some support our London workshops and events.
- Some we turn into beautiful new things.
We work with suppliers who share our zero-waste mindset — because when we value every thread, we honour the work that went into making it.
About the Prints
You could say we are print-obsessed.
In actual fact we are story obsessed. Every season palava sets off on a voyage to create you a selection of prints that you will love. We’re not everyone’s cup of tea but ha ha … and were enjoying the puns here, but if we float your boat we feel happy. Palava is about creating unique prints to help women feel there absolute best, we should wear clothes that make us feel on top of the world.
People often ask how the prints originate. Truth is each one carries it's own story. Most prints are designed by our founder and creative director Bryony Richardson, occasionly she will pull in other artists, designers for help.
When asked where the prints come from bryony answers " I love old things, childrens book illustrations, prints that use colour, the prints are based around stories always and so theres a sense of humour and nostalgicness about the prints.
were not everyones cup of tea
We're colourful, unique and full of joy.
We want women to feel proud of who they are and to want to stand out in the crowd.
So many people come in and say how many compliments they get when they wear our clothes, how many people stopped them in the street.
In the last 15 years, we've learnt to love standing out for all the right reasons.
Knowing Palava clothes add joy and happiness to someone’s everyday life, that makes us happy.
UK Made. And Proud of Every Thread.
We make as much as we can here in the UK because it matters to us to know every maker, every stitch, and every story. Supporting British manufacturing keeps valuable skills alive — from mills in the north to local machinists and button makers. Not everything we produce can be made here, but wherever it is, we choose partners we know and trust, so every Palava piece is made with care and accountability.
Click to read more
we all have the rights to pockets
At Palava, we believe every woman has the right to pockets — real ones, not those ones you cant fit anything in.
We design for real life. That means dresses you can move in, wash, wear again — and yes, stash your phone, keys, or snack in. If we can fit a pocket, we do. And not the dainty kind — big, functional, feel-good pockets.
Our clothes are made to be worn day in, day out. From busy mornings to unexpected evenings, we make sure they’re as durable, wearable, and joyful as possible. Because when your clothes work hard for you, you feel good in them — and that’s where confidence begins.
Plastic-Free Clothing, Start to Finish.
No polyester, no greenwashing — just natural, biodegradable fabrics that feel good and do good.
At Palava, we only use natural fabrics Every material we choose is breathable, biodegradable, and entirely free from plastic. That means no hidden synthetics, no polyester blends, no recycled polyester and no compromise.
It's not just the clothing, our also ensure our packaging is plastic free. Using reusable compostable bags for each garment and FSC-certified paper (paper from sustainably managed forests) for our postage bags. All of our organic cotton is grown, woven, and printed in Turkey using OEKO-TEX certified dyes, keeping things traceable, safe, and low-impact. We choose our fabrics with care — for their beauty, their durability, and the fact that they return gently to the earth when their story ends.
Wear, Repair, Rewear.
At Palava, we believe in second chances — for clothes, for materials, and for how we think about fashion. Our garments are designed to last, but we know clothes live real lives: they’re worn, washed, and passed on. That story deserves a longer life.
That’s why we’ve built circular thinking into everything we do. Our Repair Scheme keeps your favourites going, while our Resale Section helps pieces find new homes. Behind the scenes, we repurpose offcuts into accessories, homeware, and craft kits.
The future of fashion isn’t about more. It’s about revaluing what we already have — keeping, sharing, and repairing so wardrobes (and the world) last longer.
The Journey of a Palava Garment
By keeping our fabric production simple, we minimise transport miles and maintain complete transparency over every stage of the process—from field to final stitch.
At Palava, we carefully trace every step in our garments’ journey to ensure they are made as responsibly and locally as possible. Here’s how it all comes together:
- 🌱 Fabric: Our woven cotton fabrics begin their life in Turkey, where they are produced using Oeko-Tex certified inks—meaning they're free from harmful chemicals and better for the planet. This all happens close to the source of the cotton, reducing unnecessary transportation.
- 🚛 Journey to the UK: Once woven and printed, the fabric travels to our UK production hub in Barking, East London. From there, it’s transformed into beautifully made dresses by our talented team.
- 🌰 Buttons: We use Corozo nut buttons as a sustainable alternative to plastic. These are made by Courtney & Co., the only remaining UK button manufacturer—keeping a vital heritage craft alive.
- 🧶 Cotton Knitwear: Our soft organic cotton knitwear is produced in Izmir, Turkey, right next to the cotton farms where the fibres are grown—keeping the loop tight and the journey minimal.
- 🧵 Wool Knitwear (UK): For our UK-made knitwear, we work exclusively with factories and spinners within a 100-mile radius in the Midlands, ensuring low-mileage, traceable production that supports British industry.
London shop & studio
Visit our Palava shop in King’s Cross, London — a colourful space where you can try things on, find your perfect fit, and see our collections in person. It’s also home to our studio, so you’ll step right into the heart of where ideas are sketched, prints are dreamed up, and new pieces come to life. Just a short walk from the station, it’s the best way to experience Palava up close.
learning to do things better
palava film club
Our How We Make Better films are about learning, questioning, and connecting. They tell the story of why we want to do things differently — exploring how clothes are made, meeting the people behind them, and asking what the future of making could look like. Through these films, we’re building bridges between industry, customers, makers, and growers — because making better is something we can only do together.
Click here to watch the latest film
Look here for Palava Jobs
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CUSTOMER SERVICE
+44(0)207 052 3888 (9:00am - 5:30pm, Monday to Friday).
email support
need help ? Email us here : hello@palava.co