Our Story
Inspired by a
Nordic Summer
It is a long story, so I will start at the beginning. My father is American, and my mother is Norwegian, so my family spent every summer on a small island in southern Norway. It was safe and free, surrounded by water. My love for the ocean, lakes, and nature started early and this created the foundation for SJØ. A wholesome, natural and creative brand that has become my greatest passion.
Organic
Beginnings
In 2016 I found an old crochet bikini in a forgotten drawer at my grandparents' cabin. My great grandmother had made it decades ago. I was intrigued and asked my great aunt (Tante Signe) to teach me how to crochet. After that I was hooked and spent all of my free time creating beach tops and bikinis out of yarn. When a girl in my 12th grade class asked if she could buy a top from me 10 months later I said yes, and that is how SJØ was born.
a creative
Calling
For the first 5 years I ran SJØ as a hobby job alongside my schooling and was able to greatly develop my craft. But it wasn't until 2021 when I graduated from university that I committed myself full time to my business. I had decided to take a year to finish the 56 orders I had on my waitlist and after that I would "figure out what to do with my life". But something amazing happened. In that year my Instagram grew tremendously, alongside the waitlist I was still keeping in the note's app on my phone. Now suddenly I had more demand than I could handle, and I did not know what to do.
how to scale
Handmade
At this point I made about 1 piece per week and had over 600 people on my waitlist. I was spending all, ALL, my time on SJØ and desperately needed to find a way to speed up production. I had two options; find other knit and crochet artists to help me or improve my technology. In the last 2 years I have pursued both.
An obsession with
Machines
Believe it or not, I did not study fashion, business or knitwear in university - even though I now wish I could. I studied mechanical engineering and always had a certain fascination with machines and how they functioned. So, when I discovered knitting machines, it was a match made in heaven. This set the stage for 2023, when I decided to sell my car and purchase a semi-industrial knitting machine from a small start-up in Barcelona Spain called Kniterate. Currently, as I am writing this on July 9th 2025, I am still learning how to use it and I am brimming with excitement for what the future might hold.
an answer from
God
Despite this spark notes version, the journey has not been easy. There was a point when I felt particularly burnt-out, overwhelmed and hopeless. I had my semi-industrial knitting machine but couldn't muster the energy to learn how to use it. I had hundreds of people on a waitlist and was spending 60 hours a week keeping the original business model running. I felt alone and couldn't see a path forwards. So, I prayed to God for help. Two weeks later a woman named Juli reached out to me on Instagram.
making an
Impact
From the earliest days of SJØ I wanted the business to be a force for good in the world, especially for women. I dreamed of moving to a community abroad where I could build relationships with local women, teach them my craft and give them a safe and ethical work environment. Part of this became true when Juli, a female entrepreneur in Indonesia, connected with me. She had started a small knit and crochet production studio in her home, employing women in her family and community who needed work. Long story short, Juli and my business goals aligned perfectly and after a visit to Indonesia, we became partners. Read the full story here.
the future of
SJØ
It has been a long journey to get to this point, and yet I feel as though I am standing at the very beginning again. It is as if I'm on a mountain looking down over a vast landscape I know I have to cross, step by step. On the other side I see my dream; to own a purely ethical business, a truly positive entity in the world, that brings joy and confidence to customers as well as taking care of every employee to the very highest of standards. I want SJØ to have a reach beyond just myself. I want this brand to help real people, their families, and communities. For me this is not only a business, it is personal.