Lisou silk scarf | West London schools competition

London based label Lisou currently donate all their proceeds from one style per collection – this season it’s the Kiki camisole from the core collection – to charitable projects.

The brand has a small and relatively new charity in Tanzania which was set up to assist with education and medical costs for those unable to fund themselves. It’s called the LIFE trust and was inspired by the work of creative director, Rene Macdonald’s parents in their community. It is still very much a family charity with Rene, her husband Andy and their two sons on the board.

They invite people from the local Tanzanian communities to apply for grants to assist with education and medical needs. The end goal is to encourage those who benefit from the trust to put something back into the community. In some cases, this may mean tutoring younger students or assisting a patient. The end goal is to ensure that recipients contribute in whatever way they can back into the community.

Caitlin – Age 13, Chelsea Community Hospital School; “My design is inspired by animal print made using IT Software as I am unable to use my hands due to medical reasons”

In the UK, Lisou recently implemented a creative charitable competition which was run in primary and secondary schools in West London where the brand is based. Lisou invited students to submit artwork of their choice; be it an illustration, painting or design; to be considered for a Lisou silk scarf. The quality of the entries was so high that Rene decided to select two winners – one from the primary and one from the secondary school categories – whose designs will appear on a Lisou silk print scarf along with the students’ first names. Proceeds from sales of the scarf will go to the schools’ art departments.

Creative Director and Founder of Lisou, Rene Macdonald: “The general idea was to provide a creative outlet in primary and secondary schools within our borough. We want to encourage young people in a climate where government policies and education cuts mean that less children are able to have their artistic creativity nurtured.”