The Love Club: How One New Mom Is Clothing A Community—One Baby @ A Time

When Toronto-based fashion stylist Lauren Walker-Lee welcomed her first child last December, she never imagined a late-night Facebook post would spark a movement. Now, just months later, her grassroots initiative, The Love Club, has donated over 1,100 baby garments to families in need across Ontario. By turning surplus fabric into essential newborn clothing through her new line Club Kid, Lauren is redefining what it means to give back with heart. In this Q&A, she shares how motherhood, sustainability, and community care came together to build something beautiful—just in time for Mother’s Day. —Noa Nichol

Can you take us back to that first moment—a Facebook post from a mom in need—that sparked the idea for The Love Club? What made you decide to act?

I had just had my daughter it was Christmas eve, and there was an instant perspective shift after becoming a mom. The FB post was requesting newborn diapers and formula which I too was buying for my daughter, so it resonated deeply. It truly did plant the seed for the love club. I dropped off the essential items to a porch and could not stop thinking about what else I could do. Fashion being my network, I started to piece together what we could do as an community or industry to give back to those in need. The exploration started in January 2024 with my newborn in tow, and we just put one foot in front of the other. 

As a stylist and creative, how did your background in fashion influence how you approached building a grassroots initiative rooted in care and sustainability?  

My starting point was knowing that clothing is a necessity that offers a sense of pride and dignity, and that we had the tools and talent in Canada to create this initiative. My varied background and experience involves multi-tasking, energy, and a lot of outreach so I knew I would be able to figure this out one step at a time. The aesthetics came into play from the start, my only caveat from the beginning was that the clothing had to look like something I would purchase for my daughter. The branding, the tags, the fabric and styles are all something that looks like it would hang in a boutique.  

The story of Club Kid is so powerful—repurposing unused textiles into something deeply meaningful. How do you go about sourcing fabric, and what inspires the designs?  

The fabric was an absolute win and gift very early on in 2024, thanks to Vancouver’s KenDor Textiles. An Instagram friend connected me and I took my shot. They have a division that includes baby appropriate fabric and once the large donation of material arrived there was no turning back. The styles are cool and fashion-y I like to say, with uncomplicated patterns for our sewers. They include a roomy sweatsuit with cute harem pants,  and the stretch joggers that grow with the baby have become our signature. From off cuts, end of roll yardage, surplus or dead stock materials there are different ways we can acquire fabric and for various reasons they are going unused. Since we are creating tiny clothes and not to a sales calendar or colour palette we are quite suited to reimagine these fabrics. We have a social first mission but it is underpinned by an environmental one too.

In less than a year, The Love Club has already made a huge impact. What has the response been like from your charity partners and the families who receive Club Kid garments? 

It is deeply touching and rewarding to hear the stories after we gift the baby clothes. We have received lovely letters that completely mirror the idea of pride and dignity and that the mothers feel supported. I lean on the relationships with the charity directors and social workers to educate me on their needs and how the programs work and relay any information regarding our impact.  We are up to 11 charity partners that make up a spectrum of support groups doing very hard work directly.  This includes women escaping domestic violence, pregnant and parenting youth, Indigenous women, and low income mothers who simply need low to no barrier material supports in some cases. The enthusiastic response from the start when I set out to do this and also when delivering the clothes is great motivation. They are often surprised to hear that this is entirely created in order to serve those in need and connect the dots in new way to give back. 

Motherhood often opens our hearts in new ways. How did becoming a mom influence your drive to give back and build community through this project? 

When I had my daughter I felt I had gained entrance into this new secret club- the love club! That all this time (unbeknownst to me) mothers were in a secret club experiencing this love and relationship with kids. I basically started this project when my daughter was two weeks old-   the great motivator! I just went to check the first email I sent to our now charity partner The Baby Depot, and it dates early January 2024. I bring that up because it really was this powerful influence to give back and help those who may need it. 

You’ve brought together Canadian apparel makers, students, and volunteer sewers to bring Club Kid to life. How did you create that network, and what has the collaboration been like?  

It is truly collaborative spirit manifested. I figured there would be those who wanted to give back with their skilled hands and areas of expertise. It started with George Brown College and a call out for student volunteers and evolved to include two manufacturing partners and a few seamstresses too pitching in. By pooling time, talent, and resources  I thought if everyone could just do a little bit we could accomplish a lot.  I had to totally rely on their expertise to bring Club Kid to life (I can’t sew) and had a pretty basic production knowledge but I know what I like and what I would want my daughter to wear. 

There’s a strong circular fashion message behind The Love Club. How do you hope this initiative influences the broader conversation around sustainability and fashion in Canada? 

That we can sustain ourselves here in Canada that it is possible with the talent here. An education is taking place to inform a customer about what made in Canada will cost but I think we owe to it producers here to give it a shot. From the circularity side we took something going unused and turned into into something useful. Thinking outside the box sounds cliche but it is true. I had an idea and I said “why not do this” lets just ask and try. The idea that things shouldn’t go to landfill or be thrown out so quickly is sparking mindfulness in consumption and I am here for it. I have a lead on rescuing a skid of fabric in Toronto headed to landfill and I find myself shocked and delighted at the same time as it helps to further our mission while proving the love club concept.  

What are some of the unexpected lessons or emotional moments you’ve experienced while growing The Love Club from an idea to a tangible, impact-driven movement?  

I am emotional at the whole thing! That an idea on a napkin worked. That people came together to make it work, and the work we completed has made a positive impact on the groups we support.  These little baby clothes are actual tangible tokens of love and symbols of support – all with fabric that didn’t have an intended purpose when I started. An unexpected lesson from the non profit side is that some of these mother’s are caught in a cycle and have never had anything new before, or been presented with options to make a choice or purchase things. 

This Mother’s Day, you’re encouraging people to give a gift that gives back. What does that kind of meaningful giving mean to you personally?

For someone to consider donating to the love club, makes my heart sing. The gesture goes on to help further our mission and at a time when prices across the board are increasing – we are grateful. I understand it is tough for everyone but not only does the monetary contribution help I would like to say it is meaningful gift instead of buying something material – almost like mission based anti-consumption. Giving the gift of helping someone else instead of a material object that is unnecessary could be the chicest style gift giving yet. 

Finally, what’s one of your favourite Club Kid pieces so far—and if you could design a dream baby outfit from any fabric, what would it look like?

Oh there are lots of ideas floating around my head but I would love to collab with my designer friends – maybe we sell something as a fundraiser or we do some one off project to gift onwards around the holidays. I am into monogrammed bibs and collars for toddlers at the moment  and I am keeping a capsule baby bundle on my vision board which we can keep working towards. I will also say I can see us getting into  knitting and approaching a knitting group or creating Nans Who Knit and knitting very cool sweaters in great colour combinations. Our production partner CRW Design is finishing up a T-shirt as we speak so we are thrilled at the evolution of a new style to add to our roster.