About us
Welcome to Time Ahead Sweden
Time Ahead Sweden is a small family business with a big care for the future. My name is Emelie Bengtsson and I run the company, with the support of my husband Martin and our three children — who are at the very heart of everything we do.
The journey here began back in 2016, when we had our first child and started looking for simpler, more long-term choices in everyday life. We've used cloth nappies at home ever since — part-time to begin with. In 2021, while expecting our second child, I founded Time Ahead Sweden with the goal of making modern cloth nappies and accessories that last and feel lovely to use. I started out on my own, and after the first six months my sister Marielle joined — she studied at the Swedish School of Textiles, and it was a lovely project to do together. Our children are only a week or so apart, so we were on parental leave at the same time, and that's when it really took off. For two valuable years we were a wonderful team — Marielle contributed patterns and illustration, and was a great sounding board for many ideas. Today my family and I run the company with the same care as from the start.
I'm trained in product development and design, with additional training in graphic illustration. We became parents fairly late, so before that I spent many years in working life, including as a factory manager and international buyer in manufacturing. That's the background I draw on when I design the nappies — from pattern to fit. Sewing is also a dear hobby of mine: I sewed lots of baby clothes for my first child. These days it takes a bit of a back seat — time with the family comes first — but I still love sewing the prototypes for what we create.
A creation of our own
Every pattern in the range is designed by me, Emelie — and in the early years together with my sister Marielle. First as a rough sketch by hand, then finished on the computer with a digital pen. I'm careful with the colours and let recurring colours and figures reappear across different patterns — so that together they form a little world of their own. We draw inspiration from nature and wildlife. It's a slow fashion idea: considered products that are as lovely to pass on as to use — and that hold up well on the second-hand market.
Long-term thinking in our roots
Perhaps our sense of long-term thinking comes from where we live — on the Swedish west coast, on a farm passed down through generations. Our children are the sixth generation here, and that has taught us to look after what we have and to think a few steps ahead.
The same thinking follows into the company: with experience in manufacturing and purchasing, I choose materials and suppliers with care — we sew our main range in OEKO-Tex Standard 100-certified materials and lean on concrete certifications rather than big words, and design products made to last through several children. Want to know more about how we think about materials and certifications? Read Our sustainability work.
We believe small steps in the right direction matter. Welcome to be part of our journey.