The birth of her first son in 2005 inspired Michelle Fowler to begin her own range of cloth nappies, Cushie Tushies.
While researching the best products available for her new baby, Fowler realised that when it came to nappies she wanted the benefits of cloth with the convenience of disposable ones.
Finding that a combination of the two was not readily available, Fowler decided to create her own and the original Cushie Tushies nappy was born.
“I wanted the benefits of cloth with the ease of disposables – I was looking for all-in-one that was absorbent, easy to use, in fun, brightly coloured fabrics. There weren’t too many options within my limited budget that covered all the bases, so I created my own,” Ms Fowler said.
Building on design skills gained as an Assistant Designer at Krome Studios, Australia’s largest game developer, Fowler created a fun and effective nappy that was soon sought after by family and friends.
To help satisfy the demand for the design Fowler joined with her sister Catherine Langman in 2008, with Langman taking on the role of Marketing, Sales and Financial Director.
Shortly after 2008 business took off and Cushie Tushies began outsourcing to China. The company now has a small team of women in China, mostly mothers themselves, who sew the designs.
Cushie Tushies nappies are shaped like a disposable and used in just the same manner, with the addition of press-studs instead of adhesive tape. The Cushie Tushies system is also a One-Size design, meaning that the same nappy fits from newborn to toddler. The benefit of this design is that you can invest in a few nappies from birth and save money, as you don’t need to buy a full collection in each size as your baby grows.
Cushie Tushies are currently testing its new swimming nappy and are also expanding the Basix range.
