JOSEFINE EKSTRAND

by riley suchanek

Occupation: Founder & Designer of LeoLeo

Instagram Handle: @leoleofamily @leoleocopenhagen 

 

What did you want to be when you grew up as a child?

Ballerina! Designer and ballerina. A mix of both would still be the ultimate dream.

 

What is the earliest memory you have?

I have some nice memories from my Waldorf kindergarten. Many hours spent outside the city, Copenhagen where I grew up. And when in the city we played at a little playground with a huge roller coaster shaped as a colorful peacock.  

 

Do you think it is possible to be fully ready for a baby?

Is it possible to be fully ready for anything in life really? That’s maybe the charm of it all. You can feel ready or not, but you will never know what kind of pregnancy you’ll have or what kind of baby you’ll meet. Is it crying a lot, sleeping or not and so forth. I only know that whatever life throws at you -a baby will never be nothing but love!

 

What do you look for in baby/kids clothes?

Contrasts, quality and personality! I think I look for that in all aspects of life really. 

 

What do you like about Yay For You?

I adore the cool vibe, the raw “this is not a baby brand logo, logo”! I like the contrast in which kinda speaks to my life as a young girl, living in Copenhagen, skateboarding in Fælledparken, wearing chains in my baggy pants and bandana on my wrist (no kiddin). Mixed with my new life as a mother of two at the end of my thirties wearing not so baggy pants no more. Yay For You merges all of these personalities which I love and relate too.

 

What type of traditions do you hope to make for your children?

I just hope we stay together! All I want for my little family is to grow together and always love and respect each other. Then traditions and memories will follow.

 

What is one tradition you remember from your childhood?

I’m going to pick a tradition from my time as a mother instead. We set the alarm and wake up with the sun on the first day of the New Year. It’s a tradition that really makes sense to me and to see the sun come up as the first thing you do in a new year is an amazing start! 

 

What is one thing you learned from your pregnancy or from motherhood?

My first pregnancy was so easy and uncomplicated. I even finished my Master in Design and had absolutely no problems. My second pregnancy was the exact opposite! I was in bed and deeply depressed for most of the nine month.

I’m not sure I learned anything other than you just don’t know! So stop pretending like you do. It’s like landing on the moon. It’s unfamiliar territory, you don’t know when you’ll find water or how the terrain degenerates. You just have to let the body lead the way.

 

What has parenting during this pandemic taught/shown you?

I mostly have good things to say when it comes to being with my little family in the pandemic. We’re used to being together, living small, being with the kids 24/7. I must admit that full-time parenting in our previous two-bed-room-apartment paired up with running our own business LeoLeo Copenhagen, having to deal with closed factories, delays, lost profits and working nights has taken a toll on me. Motherhood at that time was very hard and I'm still trying to take care of my stress symptoms. Life in the woods seems to help me along the way.

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