About Us



The Runaway Design Collective makes bold, beautiful and creative wearable art t-shirts for cool little kids aged zero to five years. Working with amazing artists from London and around the world, Runaway tees are designed to capture imaginations and rule the playground.

The Collective was established by two Antipodean runaways, Charlie Kelly and Kate Borthwick. Former MTV and BBC staffers, Charlie and Kate left demanding jobs to focus on family and building the Runaway empire.

Based in buzzing East London, Charlie and Kate are inspired by their kids' imaginations, mother nature, London's street art and the creative output of Runaway's artists (most of whom are close friends and family).

Runaway focuses on style, ethical production and wearability. Our garments are screenprinted in the UK, mostly by hand (by us). All garments are unisex and sweatshop free; most are 100% cotton (organic where possible). All garments undergo rigorous testing by our own little runaways.



Introducing the Runaway Design Collective artists:

AMY ALEXANDER is an Australian award-winning animator and illustrator, now based in Berlin as an artist in residence at Takt, known for her quirky and whimsical style, focusing on hand-drawn works.

ANITA KING is an Australian artist and clothing designer who lives and works in New York. Her bold paintings of iconic landscapes focus on space and place and colourful dreams of nature.

CRACKED INK is a British street artist based in New Zealand. His style is bold and playful, featuring clunky robots and an eclectic gang of little creatures. 

HELEN BEARD is an established British ceramicist based in London, stocked in Fortnum and Mason and renowned for her beautiful, delicate work on her individually thrown and hand-painted pots.

KALMAN LEE is a New Zealand creative designer based in Sydney who produces weird and wonderful characters in a sketchy hand-drawn style.

TAMSIN ARROWSMITH-BROWN is a British potter and print-maker. Her delicate porcelain features fine line detail, while her linocuts depict playful and often retro characters.