When the swimming shorts that Sofia Sköld bought ten years ago began to fall apart, she began a desperate search for new ones. The very few shorts she found could not be put into, or lacked underwear. Others inflated like balloons when she jumped into the water. There was great potential for improvement here, Sofia believed.

- But I'm not a designer, so I emailed H&M and asked "can't you produce this?". I got no answer. Then the token fell, and I realized that you can hire a designer yourself.

Together with her husband Andreas Sköld, she founded the company Moonrise of Sweden in 2020 and began to develop a "shortsini", which consists of swimming shorts and a matching swimming top that is sold separately.

Want to give women an alternative

The aim was not just to fill the hole in her own wardrobe – but to offer women more options than tiny bikini bottoms, Sofia explains. Alternative for those who don't want to think about their bikini line, or what happens to be exposed when diving or fishing for crabs.

- We want to normalize swimming shorts for girls to create a more equal swimwear. Why should girls wear panties on the beach when guys wear shorts?

It's not about hiding, she points out.

- But it's about the right to decide for yourself what you show to whom and when.

The garments they developed are more covering than a regular bikini and have soft elastic and stretchy fabric to increase mobility. The shorts have a colored inner brief to prevent discolouration and increase longevity, as well as eyelets to prevent air bubbles and a zipped pocket.

- We discovered along the way that women's clothing generally lacks function. Boys' clothes are often stylish and functional, while girls' clothes are mostly just good-looking. So we try to weave function into what we do, says Andreas.

He takes their towel kimono as an example.

- You can change it underneath. You can snap it on the torso to change the top, and at the waist to change the bottom.

It asked for a hat

Actually, the products were to be launched already before the bathing season in 2021. Due to the pandemic, and trouble with the supplier, the launch was postponed until the fall and the couple decided to ride the winter bathing wave.

- We bought a winter bathing cap. It is produced in Sweden, so it was easier. After we placed the order for the hat, we found out that things are going wrong with the factory. So there we were with a cap and no swimming shorts, says Sofia and laughs.

In the spring of 2022, the Lerumsföretagarna could finally present their first collection - which, with a little help from the influencer Clara Henry, sold out in several sizes.

- It is fascinating that there is such a huge demand on the market for this product, and that none of the big clothing giants cared about it. This target group has just been overlooked in some way, says Sofia.

"Wanted to look at butts"

In the past year, the couple's inbox has been filled with both happy shouts and requests for more colors and sizes, mainly larger ones.

- We also got some men who wrote to us and thought we ruined it for them. They wanted to go to the beach and look at all the butts, says Sofia with a sigh.

She sees the emails mostly as another reason to change the swimwear standards.

- Not all women want to be involuntarily sexualized in their swimwear. I'm not on the beach for them, but for myself. To hang out with my kids, chill and have a good time.

Now the entrepreneurs await this year's collection, whose sizes now range from xxs to 4xl. This time, however, they rent a warehouse instead of, as last year, taking care of the order packing themselves from the summer cottage.

- We will focus more on driving sales instead, says Andreas, who previously worked as a salesperson for an alarm company. A job he resigned from already when his own company was in the starting pits in 2020.

- Many may think that it was stupid to do it in the middle of corona, but it felt right to do so then. And I haven't regretted it.