From fourth job loss to starting brand seen on TV

After her fourth redundancy since 2015, Emma Earley-Bailey had all but given up hope of ever holding on to a job.

The last one was particularly difficult as the role was with her own family's business, which was closing because of her father's ill health.

"I just thought 'wow, if I'm going to be made redundant from our own business, then I'm never going to be safe in employment'," she told BBC Radio Stoke.

Yet it ended up being the start of a new career path for the mother-of-four from Wistaston, Cheshire, who turned to her passion for DIY and launched a workwear company in 2025.

Britches, which specialises in making items such as overalls for women, has since gone on to have products worn by people on TV and it was recently named one of the UK's best small businesses.

"It's still shocking, it still amazes me," she said. "I still think 'no, this can't be happening, not me'."

Earley-Bailey worked in the medical equipment industry before she joined her family's business after her third redundancy.

Before the company closed, she had already built up a social media following, sharing her love for "crafting, painting – anything mucky" on Instagram.

But she became frustrated by the lack of products for women when she was looking for workwear at DIY shops.

"Women are just not represented. We're just not seen, so I got a bit fed up to be honest," she said.

In August, she put 50 garments which she had created up for sale and they all quickly sold out.

"I guess that was the moment I thought 'oh no, I need to manufacture at higher volumes now – I need to make this bigger and faster', and I did," Earley-Bailey said.

She officially launched the company in December and it was not too long before her products were appearing on TV.

One contestant on BBC One show Interior Design Masters, Kate Hewitt, was seen wearing one of the garments when the series aired this year.

Earley-Bailey said: "I thought 'oh my god, Alan Carr is standing there next to Kate, wearing my dungarees'."

Britches was named among the 100 companies included in the Nation's Favourite Business – an initiative run by the Small Business Saturday campaign.

She also exhibited at the Ideal Home Show in London earlier this year, where she met Briony Ace, who competed in Interior Design Masters 2025.

As well as trying to continue building her business, Earley-Bailey said her main ambition was to ensure women had a company supporting their creative endeavours.

"I just want more women to realise that and not feel like they have to be an interiors design master to wear them or be part of the brand," she added.

"[They could be] just gardening, pottering around and painting – doing all the little bits and pieces women do without recognition."

Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.