Teacher who experienced care designs a new gifting range for Christmas available in John Lewis and Waitrose

• New gifting range designed by Leah, a teacher and aspiring designer, is the must-have choice for presents with a purpose this Christmas
• The launch builds on John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme, which has generated £2.8M for charity.
• Available online and in John Lewis and Waitrose stores now

A stylish gifting range designed by a teacher and aspiring designer is now available online and in John Lewis and Waitrose stores, aiming to raise donations to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of young people who are care experienced.

The collection is the latest in the Made by Care range, which has grown from the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme. The programme aims to help care experienced young people improve their employability potential^*.

Leah worked with the John Lewis in-house design team to develop their unique designs, including in a one-on-one workshop.

The gifting range includes a sweatshirt adorned with a wildflower graphic design (£35), the accessory of the season - a silk scarf (£49), as well as homeware accessories from a printed statement mug (£9), a hand-painted vase (£20), matching trinket dish (£7), journal (£12) and floral puzzle (£20).

The range also includes a printed tote bag (£10) made of recycled bottles, which are available online and in John Lewis and Waitrose stores.

Commenting on designing the range, Leah said: “My designs focus on Wildflowers, which represent the care experienced community. Wildflowers possess an inherent resilience, strength, and unique ability to thrive and flourish despite challenging circumstances, embodying a fierce and free spirit.

“As an aspiring designer, this is an incredible opportunity to experience how products go from a sketch to being photographed for the website. It’s given me invaluable experience and I’m excited to see where this path goes.”

Rosie Hanley, Director of Brand for John Lewis, said: “We’re incredibly proud of how the Made By Care brand is going into its third year of creating opportunities for people who are care experienced. Leah’s work sparks real change and we will continue to champion the talent in the community and empower more young people to build brighter futures.”

Profits from each product sold will be donated to the Building Happier Futures fund, which is part of the John Lewis Partnership Foundation. All donations will contribute to support our work with Action for Children, Home Start and Who Cares? Scotland, building supportive communities for care experienced people, and helping families and carers create happy and secure homes.

The collaborative design-led project will see more products launched in 2026 and beyond, as part of the Partnerships long-term commitment to support Care Experienced young people through the Building Happier Futures programme.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The John Lewis Partnership Foundation has committed to use 65% of total donations to continue supporting our work with Action for Children, Home Start and Who Cares Scotland, and the remaining 35% will be split across other charity organisations.
• ^*Government statistics show that care leavers are three times more likely not to be in education, employment or training (NEET) than other young people.