Harrogate Christmas & Gifts: Hall A, Stand A11
Completely recycled, 100% loveable and coveted by all – Keel Toys eco-friendly plush range Keeleco looks set to be a huge hit once again at Harrogate. Sarah Welsh spoke to head of design, Patrick Downs.
Keel Toys has built an envied reputation as one of the most environmentally sound companies in the toy and gift sectors, and that’s certainly the case when it come to Christmas.
Back in 2020 Keel Toys launched Keeleco, now one of its signature soft toy brands, where every cuddly design is manufactured and filled with 100% recycled polyester made from plastic waste.
Harrogate’s Christmas & Gift show is key for the Kent-based company, as it’s where the completely new 2024 Keeleco Halloween, Winter and Christmas ranges will be unveiled to customers for the first time.
Head of design Patrick Downs explains why this commitment to sustainability is key for Keel
Can you tell us a bit more about the story behind the Keeleco brand?
Keel Toys has always been at the forefront of innovation and design within the soft toy and gift market, and our sustainability journey has been no different. We’ve used stuffing fibre made from recycled plastic for over 10 years throughout our range. And we then wanted to move away from single-use plastic in our iconic Keel Toys logo.
The natural next step after this was to work with long term partners at our factories and fabric mills to develop polyester fabrics made from 100% recycled content. Our goal was to create sustainable fabrics and products that were softer, and even more beautiful and huggable than before and in the Keeleco range we have more than succeeded.
Each and every toy in the collection is filled with 100% recycled polyester made from plastic waste, which gives plastic a second life. The logo and hangtag are now formed from FSC card and attached to the toy with cotton. Even the shipping cartons are recycled and sealed with paper tape.
Have you seen more demand for sustainable ranges since launching Keeleco?
The reaction and demand for Keeleco has exceeded even our wildest expectations. The range now includes Wild, Farm, Sealife, Dinosaurs, Teddy Bears, Puppies, Kittens, Nursery, Seasonal and Keeleco Adoptable World.
The collection features well over 450 products, 85% of the entire Keel Toys collection is made from 100% recycled materials and we’re committed to expanding this even more.
We’ve all seen the David Attenborough commentary on plastic waste in our oceans so it’s lovely the Keeleco brand includes sea life characters…
Our Sealife collection is such an important range for Keeleco. We think customers will love the whimsical Keeleco Pink range which is new for 2024. We’ve used exclusive fabrics and embroideries to being seahorses, mermaids, starfish, octopuses and even a clam shell to life, complete with eye-catching gold crowns and pink tutus!
What else can you tell us about the new designs for this year?
Our development for 2024 is heavily focused on our Keeleco ranges. We go into 2024 with a new collection of standing and sitting dogs, and all come complete with fashion focused dog outfits all made from 100% recycled materials.
Keeleco has further additions in store for its core ranges as well, with the playful magic of Wild, Farm and Dinosaur hand puppets, accompanied by a striking multi-sided floor standing display unit.
What can you tell us about Keel Toy’s plans for Christmas & Gift?
We are very excited to say that the Harrogate show offers an exclusive opportunity to preview and pre-order the completely new 2024 Keeleco Halloween, Winter & Christmas ranges.
Christmas & Gift is perfectly timed for us as a business. It allows us to unveil our new collections to customers and gauge the popularity of individual lines. We can then order accordingly to maximise our sales. Plus the show also gives us the opportunity to start bespoke own-label projects for the upcoming festive season with our customers.
For more information visit: www.keeltoys.com
Harrogate Christmas & Gifts: Hall A, Stand A11
