Charlotte, Founder
Our Story
" A lifetime of stories, memories and love,
just thrown away "
"A few years ago, whilst volunteering in a charity shop, I noticed the amount of soft toys that they were receiving. These items which often held great memories and sentimental value, were being thrown onto a pile and often sold as dog toys (or even worse, into the bin!). I witnessed how the love, and the life and the stories were lost and forgotten, just like that."
"Loved Before was born in an attempt to change the way we think about, and use soft toys forever. By challenging our perceptions of pre-owned objects, we can show that instead of losing value, a toy once loved is made even more valuable by the love and life it has already experienced."
How does it work?
At least half of the profit from every
friend adopted goes
to Make-A-Wish UK.
Loved Befores arrive at
HQ, meet the rest of
the gang and settle in
to all the madness here!
Donated friends visit the Loved Before Spa, where they receive a thorough clean and refresh
Loved Befores have their own photoshoot, are added to the store and
re-homed to find new adventure!
Our Mission
Saving The World,
One Teddy at a Time
Although we are clearly mad about teddies, we see Loved Before, and its mission, as part of a much wider change in mindset - in which teddies are only just the start! Through the medium of bears, we hope that Loved Before can challenge consumer behaviours and relationships and help the next generations to re-write the rules, and the future.
All Things Green
Sustainability plays a huge part in our overall brand mission. And it's not just about recyclable packaging and making greener choices (although we do all that too), but it's about the bigger picture and a greater need. Loved Before believe that there are enough soft toys already in the world to never have to produce another again and that through changing perceptions of the pre-loved objects that already exist, we can begin to revolutionise the toy industry, forever.
Imperfect I'm perfect
Whether it be by 1 day, or 80 years, whether they've been sitting on a shelf, or have travelled the world dangling from a backpack, all of our toys have been Loved Before and that means they often look it! They can be worn, battered, broken and in general terms, are far from 'perfect'. Through Loved Before, what we show every day is that 'imperfections' mean absolutely nothing in the context of love and acceptance and as we're learning more and more through the medium of bears, there really is no such thing as 'perfection'.