Fiona Stories 

About Fiona 

About Fiona  

Maternity wear — but make it for everyone.
 

FIONA is an Oslo-based clothing brand born from the experience of pregnancy — but made for life, 

not just for motherhood. We design garments to wear before, during, and after pregnancy.

 

Emilie Skolmen, grunnlegger;

 

Det var da jeg selv gikk gravid at frøet om et merke for gravide kvinner ble sådd. Jeg var overrasket over hvor lite utvalg 

det var av klær for gravide.  Det virket som om ingen tok oss på alvor. Og det som fantes var lite estetisk,  ubehagelig å gå 

med og i dårlige materialer. Da jeg luftet frustrasjonen min med folk rundt meg, skjønte jeg fort at vi var flere som kjente på

 det samme. Opplevelsen var at idet du ble gravid eller mamma, så var det plutselig ikke lov å være kul - fin - sexy lenger.

Jeg brukte mammapermen til å definere hva FIONA skulle være, og kokte ideen ned til et mål om å skape klær som kunne 

brukes ikke bare under graviditeten, men også før og etter. 

 

Etterhvert som FIONA sakte, men sikkert ble til - på papiret – så jeg også muligheter for et større univers.  Etter masse jobb 

med merkevaren og det visuelle, kom det vanskelige, nesten uoverkommelige, steget med å ta designet fra noe jeg så for 

meg i hodet mitt til noe håndfast. Jeg hadde aldri laget teckpacks før, hadde ikke noe fabrikknettverk og hva med lover og 

regler, bærekraft og butikkutsalg? Det var en jungel av ting jeg ikke visste noe om, og i lengre perioder mistet jeg trua og la 

FIONA på hylla. MEN i 2023 fikk Benjamin Martinsen og Alex Windsløv øynene opp for FIONA. Jeg kjente Benjamin fra tidligere. 

Det var han jeg hadde gått til med mine tusenvis av spørsmål om design og klesbransjen da jeg var helt i startgropen. 

Nå var ringen sluttet. Benjamin og Alex har drevet butikken F5 i 12 år og kjente bransjen ut og inn. Da de i starten 

av 2023 ønsket å gå inn i FIONA Strories, var det bare å klype seg i armen:  Drømmen min kunne faktisk bli til virkelighet.… 

og med nettverket og erfaringen til Benjamin og Alex satte FIONA fart, og jeg glemmer aldri dagen jeg satt med første 

prototype i hånden.At FIONA stories nå faktisk skal ut i verden er nesten umulig å forstå.  Stolte, ydmyke, glade og litt redde er 

vi klare for neste kapittel.

 

Vi gleder oss til dere skal få møte henne <3

Emilie Skolmen, Founder: 

The seed for FIONA was planted when I was pregnant myself. I was surprised by how limited the options were — it felt like no one really took pregnant women seriously. Most maternity wear was unflattering, uncomfortable, and made in poor-quality materials. 

 

When I shared my frustration with others, I quickly realized I wasn’t alone.It was as if, the moment you became pregnant or a mom, you weren’t “allowed” 

to feel cool, beautiful, or sexy anymore.

I spent my maternity leave shaping what FIONA 

could be. My vision was clear: to create clothes that weren’t just for pregnancy, but that could live in your wardrobe before and long after. As FIONA slowly 

came to life — on paper — I started to see the 

potential for something bigger. A whole universe, really.

 

Still, taking that idea from vision to reality was incredibly hard. I had no experience with tech packs, no factory contacts, and no clue where to begin with production, regulations, or sustainability. At times, it felt impossible. There were long stretches where I lost faith in the whole project and put FIONA away.

 

But then, in 2023, Benjamin Martinsen and Alex Windsløv discovered FIONA. I already knew Benjamin

— he had patiently answered my thousand questions about the fashion industry when I was first starting out. 

Now, things had come full circle. Benjamin and Alex 

had run the concept store F5 for over 12 years and knew 

the industry inside and out.When they expressed interest in joining FIONA Stories at the beginning of 2023, it felt surreal — like I had to pinch myself. 

My dream could actually become reality.

 

With their experience and network, FIONA finally took off. I’ll never forget the moment I held the first prototype in my hands.

 

That FIONA Stories is now out in the world is still hard to fully grasp. We are proud, humbled, grateful — and 

so excited for what’s ahead.

 

We hope you love it as much as we do. <3

Maternity wear — but make it for everyone.
 

FIONA is an Oslo-based clothing brand born from the experience of pregnancy — but made for life, 

not just for motherhood. We design garments to wear before, during, and after pregnancy.

Emilie Skolmen, Founder: 

The seed for FIONA was planted when I was pregnant myself. I was surprised by how limited the options were — it felt like 

no one really took pregnant women seriously. Most maternity wear was unflattering, uncomfortable, and made in 

poor-quality materials. 

 

When I shared my frustration with others, I quickly realized I wasn’t alone.

It was as if, the moment you became pregnant or a mom, you weren’t “allowed” to feel cool, beautiful, or sexy anymore.

I spent my maternity leave shaping what FIONA could be. My vision was clear: to create clothes that weren’t just for pregnancy, 

but that could live in your wardrobe before and long after. As FIONA slowly came to life — on paper — I started to see the 

potential for something bigger. A whole universe, really.

 

Still, taking that idea from vision to reality was incredibly hard. I had no experience with tech packs, no factory contacts, 

and no clue where to begin with production, regulations, or sustainability. At times, it felt impossible. There were long 

stretches where I lost faith in the whole project and put FIONA away.

 

But then, in 2023, Benjamin Martinsen and Alex Windsløv discovered FIONA. I already knew Benjamin — 

he had patiently answered my thousand questions about the fashion industry when I was first starting out. 

Now, things had come full circle. Benjamin and Alex had run the concept store F5 for over 12 years and knew 

the industry inside and out.When they expressed interest in joining FIONA Stories at the beginning of 2023, 

it felt surreal — like I had to pinch myself. My dream could actually become reality.

 

With their experience and network, FIONA finally took off. I’ll never forget the moment I held the first prototype in my hands.

That FIONA Stories is now out in the world is still hard to fully grasp. We are proud, humbled, grateful — and 

so excited for what’s ahead.

 

We hope you love it as much as we do. <3