An antidote to the burnout epidemic.
We are living in a time of collective burnout, fatigue and overwhelm. As an antidote, we believe it is essential to cultivate moments in our life that fill our cup back up.
As the world spins faster, it can be easy to miss the moments that truly matter. The mundane, quiet, still chapters, that don't make sense to photograph and broadcast, and yet nourish us beyond anything else.
We encourage you to take a stand against the ever-increasing pace of life, to protect those sacred 'inbetween' moments, and prioritise pause.
By providing you with a luxurious, woven cocoon to rest your body, we help you to carve out these (essential) peaceful moments.
Our pods provide you with a physical space in your life to dedicate to self-care and deep relaxation.
We help to keep basketry alive.
Found in almost every part of the world and dating back ten to twelve thousand years, basketry is believed to be one of the oldest crafts in the world. For centuries, basketry has been an every day life essential, with each town or village having local basketmaking artisans.
"Basketry is widely believed to be the oldest craft in the world"
- HERITAGE CRAFT ASSOCIATION
Pearpod is located in the Southwest of the UK, our willow harvested from the Somerset Levels, which historically has been the heart of Britain's willow industry.
All our pods our woven using these traditional basketry techniques, that have quite literally been passed down through thousands of generations.
From the 19th century up until now, thenumber of basketmakers has fallen from around 14'000 to now a mere 200.
If the numbers drop much lower, this ancient craft will be lost. Here at Pearpod we want to celebrate and keep alive this traditional craft, showcasing its adaptability, across surfaces and form, sitting harmoniously within both traditional spaces as well as contemporary designs.
We support female makers.
It can be hard as a basketmaker to earn enough money from this traditional craft. Add on top of that the gender pay gap as well as the multitude of other stresses that we as women face, and it becomes almost impossible to make an income from basketry as a woman.
We help to empower women to do what they love by building a brand and product suite around willow weaving, focusing on building brand awareness, marketing, networking and allowing basketmakers to focus on what they do best; weaving.
Originally Ellen wove every pod herself, but now we work with a small team of women across the Southwest of England.
Our vision is to build a weaving collective of women across the UK, providing community, connection, and fair pay.
We run Pearpod differently. Supporting and celebrating women is and always will be at the core of Pearpod; this looks like meetings starting with emotional check-ins and open communication around our cycles. This way, that which makes us feminine becomes a superpower rather than a hindrance.
How did Pearpod start?
Ellen's desire was to design a space that would blur the lines between our introverted and extroverted nature.
She wanted to create a piece that you could curl up in anywhere and feel a sense of peace.
And so back in 2011, on her Art Foundation in Falmouth, Ellen learnt how to make her first pod.
She hand-bent and welded the steel frame, taught herself basketry techniques and learnt how to splice a rope from the fishermen.
The plan was only ever to make one, but once she wove her first pod, and people began to experience the womb-like, cocooned feeling of the space, she received multiple orders.. and hence Pearpod was born!
The vision now is for the pods to be installed throughout both commercial and residential settings: Spas, Retreat centres, Workspaces, Hotels, Prisons, Schools, Homes, Cafes.
