Emily and Sophie, founders of Earthling, on lockdown motherhood, small flats, and raising self-worth in their children.
Lockdown motherhood: small flats, big challenges
When Emily and Sophie became mums, it was the beginning of a very strange year. No baby groups, no casual coffees, no visits from friends offering reassurance and absolutely no ‘village’. Just two tiny flats, tiny babies and the weight of new motherhood pressing in.
“Our flats were so small”, Sophie remembers. “No dedicated changing area. Nappies lived in a caddy under the sofa alongside wipes and bum cream. Every surface, nook and cranny was multipurpose”.
They needed a solution that could work hard, be portable and make daily life easier – something non-toxic, natural and multi-functional. That’s how the Seedling basket was born: part changing station, part toy storage, part coffee table tray, part boat for imaginative play.
From need to ethical design
For Emily, it was never just about practicality.
“We wanted something meaningful. We wanted to recognise the Vietnamese mothers handweaving these baskets from their homes. They work incredibly hard, often with limited resources, and we wanted our support to go directly to them. No mass production, no shortcuts – no matter the cost”.
The baskets became a bridge between intention and action: functional, beautiful and carrying the story of real people behind every weave.
