Our Story
As a proud mum of Mabel and her little brother Wilbur, I started this business when on maternity leave with Mabel to avoid the dreaded commute everyday into London.
When I first started, the goal was simple, I wanted to produce changing essentials in really unique prints that were not available on the High Street. I wanted to break the mould of practical had to be boring.
So many hours were spent hand crafting our collection until recently when we made the move to have our mats made by a UK manufacturer, freeing up time to 'run the business'.
Mabel & Fox proudly designs baby changing essentials around current homeware trends, meaning they fit beautifully inside your home! Not only that, our mats are super practical having made them wipeable & waterproof, for speedy cleaning post changes.
More recently we have started stocking a range of other brands that compliment our collection. We're very particular with who and what we stock to ensure our customers have an amazing product range to choose from, they also get a thumbs-up of approval from the children in our family first!
We hope you love our collection x
Leanne Birkett
Founder and Director
About Us
Practical doesn't have to be boring.
We've taken the traditional baby changing mat, combined it with some utterly gorgeous prints (based around interior trends) allowing them to fit seamlessly into your home. Not only do they set the tone for a nursery space and inspire themes, they make incredible photo backdrops - our customers absolutely love taking pictures of their babies on our mats!
We have designed the collection to ensure we offer a variety of size and mat styles to not only cater for different changing requirements, but also to help make our product attainable for all. We've recognised that anything baby related needs to be super practical and so we have chosen a non-toxic wipeable PVC cover for our changing mats, enabling them to be easily cleaned post changes. The majority of our prints are gender neutral - we really believe in making items that can be passed down to friends or family.
We design our collections around current interior and nursery trends so that they can add some style to an area of the nursery which is normally quite boring, practical and often far too twee!
Meet our Team
Leanne Birkett
Director
Starting out in adult life studying Fashion and Textiles Management, I've always had a love for fabrics and sewing. After the birth of my first baby, living in Colchester, but working in London and contemplating going back to work after maternity, I realised that the numbers just didn't add up!
So, I started Mabel and Fox, initially making everything by hand at home on my sewing machine when Mabel was napping. It then developed further through hard work, luck and some, shall we say... trial and error!
After a brief stint living in Denmark and the birth of my second child, I really focused on the business and started to grow it to what it is today (my 3rd baby). I love to visit the Lake District and have lovely family days out at the weekend.
Favourite print: Banana Leaf.
Favourite product: Mabel and Fox Nappy Caddy.
Dan Knott
Operations Manager
I trained as a Primary School Teacher and completed 13 years of hard time (much like a prison sentence, but without free meals) . Although I enjoyed it and have many hilarious tales to regale, I've always liked being creative and I have a background in photography. Working here at Mabel and Fox brings lots of exciting challenges, opportunities to be creative and well sometimes headaches, but it is a really exciting business to be involved with!
Out of work I enjoy keeping active, primarily through running and crossfit, but I love being outdoors and kitesurfing too. My little boy is 2 and an absolute loon, he has far too much energy and loves ‘Hey Duggee’ (which I have probably seen every episode of 15 times) but I wouldn't change him for the world!
Favourite print: Ocean Life.
Favourite product: Little Dutch Vintage Campervan.
Jess Davis
Social Media & Customer Services Manager
I have a background in social media, PR and marketing - which steers me well when it comes to mucking in with - well everything! I'm part time at the moment and cover various aspects of the Mabel & Fox business such as: customer service, order fulfillment and Social Media.
I love all things TV and movies, although I have much less time to binge watch my favourite shows these days due to my wild toddler called Caleb!
Favourite print: Vintage Florals.
Favourite product: Splash mats because they're easy to pick and pack! No seriously, travel mats; because I'm one of those Mums who likes to be super prepared and have a couple of changing bags dotted around! These mats are great for the car and also for swimming as they are waterproof!
Gemma Vyse
Warehouse Assistant
Favourite Print: Eucalyptus.
Favourite Product: Little Dutch Cuddly Goose.
Meg Maskell
E-commerce Assistant
I am a recent graphic communication graduate from Norwich University of the Arts, with a passion for bold innovative designs for good. I have a background working in both a design and e-commerce capacity, with a love for all things small business. I work full-time at Mabel & Fox, working behind the scenes to keep the website up-to-date with all our lovely products.
When I’m not at work, I’m either on a long walk with my cockapoo puppy Rolo, buying another house plant (which I definitely don’t have room for), or doing a DIY up-cycle project!
Favourite print: Retro Florals
Favourite product: Aykasa Folding Storage Crate.