Birth, Babies and Beyond – Norway

BIRTH, BABIES AND BEYOND – NORWAYSpecial  Theme:

Lillelam offers soft and warm children’s wear in merino wool. The Lillelam shop in Oslo.

Wonder wool

Lillelam has for some time now excelled in the area of durable and warm merino wool clothing for children. Recently, the brand also added merino linen to its assortment.

By Eva-Kristin U. Pedersen | Photos: Lillelam

When Pernille Siem became a mother, she struggled to find safe, sustainable and warm clothing for her baby. Thanks to her French mother, Siem had been dressed in soft merino wool herself – but that was nowhere to be found on the Norwegian market.

Siem decided that the best way to fix that was to set up her own company. In 2004, Lillelam was born, and the company now employs five people in the head office and four in the brand store in

The first is still Lillelam’s bestselling collection. Oslo, doing everything from design and production to sales.

Designed to last “Our products are designed to withstand the test of time. We use the cleanest possible treatment processes, as well as ethical and sustainable production methods,” Siem explains.

The result is a collection of clothes in 100 per cent merino wool for newborn babies and children up to six years of age. “It’s really the softest wool available,” stresses the entrepreneur.

No need for frequent washing Merino wool comes from the merino sheep, whose long and soft fibres are very well-fitting for clothing. Because Lillelam employs a very careful production process, any of its garments can be broken down into compost when, eventually, they wear out. In addition, merino wool is self-purifying and hardly needs washing,

The original collection designed in 2004 is still Lillelam’s best-selling – after 17 years. The design and material were purposely made flexible to allow for a child’s movement and growth. Moreover, the high quality means that Lillelam clothes can be passed down from one generation to the next.

“A customer recently told me that she had one of our dresses, which had been passed on 11 times – a sign that we’ve really managed to achieve our ambition to produce sustainable quality clothing,” says Siem.

Like sleeping in a cloud More recently, Lillelam developed a unique product: bedlinen for adults in soft merino. These sheets and duvet covers are sold online and in selected shops in Oslo under the brandname Baylon.

“It took us more than three years to develop them, but it was worth it. My daughter told me that it was like sleeping in a cloud,” Siem smiles, adding that merino linen has health benefits: “Even patients with ME or chronic fatigue syndrome have told us that the quality of their sleep greatly improves with our linen.”

Web: lillelam.com / www.baylon.no Facebook: lillelam.no / baylon.no

Lilleba: Sleeping made fashionable, unique and soft

Beautiful patterns, high quality and softness that could put any child or adult to sleep – Lilleba is bringing a brand-new take on PJs. Even after 16 years on the market, the brand is determined to make not only the most comfortable, but also the best-looking pyjamas and lounge wear out there.

By Celina Tran | Photos: Markus Johansson

In 2006, a mother in Stavanger, Norway, found herself making clothes for her little baby son. What began as a single item of clothing quickly turned into a collection, and thus, Lilleba was born.

“We spend a third of our lives sleeping,” says Aleksandra Dudek, head of design at Lilleba. “It’s an incredibly important part of life, and therefore we want to make sure that our clothes and bedding help you sleep as well as possible, in addition to being appealing and looking good.”

Originally, Lilleba only produced under- and sleepwear for children, and so the quality and fabric needed to be soft and long-lasting, but also suitable for those with sensitive skin. It didn’t take long before they widened their collection and began developing clothes for adults as well.

Dreams, starry skies and Nordic nights In their most recent collection, Nordisk natt, which is Norwegian for ’Nordic night’, Lilleba’s team has truly tapped into their childhood for inspiration. “My main inspiration for this was the Nordic nature and culture. There’s something about animals and the night sky that’s almost dreamlike, perhaps even a bit childish,” Dudek chuckles.

Dudek’s personal favourite from the collection is Polarnatt, ’Polar night’. The pattern depicts a glittering Nordic night sky and Arctic animals, and provides a sense of airiness, reminiscent of a distant childhood dream.

“Our patterns aren’t limited to children. The entire family can be comfortable and fashionable in their matching pyjama set,” Dudek explains.

A slumber to last generations The Lilleba team prides itself on the quality of their clothing. The clothes are made up of bamboo viscose and cotton, so the collections are soft and inclusive for everyone, including those allergic to standard wool clothing. Additionally, bamboo is grown without fertilisers and can absorb carbon dioxide, making it a greener alternative.

“Quality is a priority because we want our pyjamas to be passed down from sibling to sibling, maybe even generations,” Dudek says. “Today’s world is dominated by fast fashion, but we aim to produce fashionable wear with the least possible harm to our planet.”

Lilleba continuously works towards making the products greener.

Web: www.lilleba.no Facebook: Lilleba & Herremann Instagram: @lillebaogherremann

A family of three walking through Frognerparken.

MiniMeis: Connecting with your child from day one

No matter where you go, there are toddlers perched high on shoulders, small hands gripping their parents’ heads, and big eyes taking in the bright, new world they’re still discovering. Making this activity easier is what MiniMeis, a foldable shoulder carrier that securely and ergonomically supports the perched child (and parent), is all about – and the three Norwegian dads who invented it have achieved remarkable success.

By Lise Lærdal Bryn | Photos: MiniMeis

The root of MiniMeis’ invention and its subsequent success is as simple as this: a father’s desire to connect with his young child. This is what sparked Julius Winger’s, Marcus Martinuzzi’s and Tarjei Espolin Johnson’s imaginations and led to them developing a way to engage with children on a more meaningful level in day-to-day life. It started in 2011, when industrial designers Winger and Martinuzzi went on paternity leave and spent every day with their children.

Although there are other baby-andtoddler-carrying solutions, hanging both on their parents’ fronts and backs –and indeed the name of MiniMeis derives from the Norwegian word for these carriers, ‘bæremeis’ – the fathers found them limited in their practicality in everyday life. “These traditional carriers are good if you’re going on long hikes, but it’s not that often you do that with these young children,” Johnson, who now serves as CEO, remarks.

Freeing up your hands – and your child’s view Traditional carriers also are much more restrictive for the child, who has limited mobility and often can’t see much more than the parent’s neck. “We once walked around Disney World with a GoPro camera, fastening it first to a pram and then to my head, and it was amazing how different the view is, how much more of the

world your kid can see on your shoulders,” Johnson adds.

“Our goal is for it to be easy and fun to involve your kids in your life. For example, if you’re mowing the lawn, rather than them lying in a pram or on the lawn, they’re part of the activity, you can talk to them, point at things and so on,” Johnson explains.

The greatest advantage is that it really frees up everyone’s hands. Rather than clutch your toddler’s legs, you can hand them a grape and hold someone’s hand. It’s a remarkably simple idea, and it’s no surprise that the product has taken off since they launched it publicly with a global patent in 2015, after four years of playing around with it for personal use.

“Things really exploded especially in the US from day one,” says Johnson. “We sold two MiniMeis a day, then five, then ten, and suddenly it was a 100 per day. It grew very, very quickly.”

By dads, for dads – and their families No doubt, part of this success is thanks to Time Magazine naming MiniMeis one of the Top 100 Inventions of the Year in 2019, a fact that MiniMeis proudly displays on their website. They are also efficient marketers with a personal touch, as they are all involved in making their own promotional material, and they feature stories of people using the MiniMeis all over the world.

The company has now sold over 100,000 MiniMeis to over 150 countries. “We’re quite certain that a reason we’ve made such a breakthrough internationally is that it’s been developed by and for dads, and so few products in the for-children industry are made by dads. It’s mostly focused on mothers,” Johnson reflects. “And so the recent trend of fathers taking on more responsibilities has worked well for us.”

Petting horse. The MiniMeis makes it easier for the child to interact with the world. The MiniMeis G4 comes in five colours.

The increased role dads are taking in childrearing is something that some consider as typically Scandinavian – it perhaps comes as no surprise that this company was created by three Norwegian dads – but Johnson is quick to emphasise that this is a world-wide trend. “Dads are taking more responsibility everywhere, and we think it’s great to help push that –we’re really focused on the father being present from a young age.”

Web: minimeis.com Instagram: @minimeis

Co-founder Tarjei Espolin Johnson with wife and head of marketing, Nina, and son. The MiniMeis can easily be carried when the child wants to walk.

RisaRosa: Knitting with love

Passion, love and knitwork are three of the most important ingredients in RisaRosa’s recipe for the perfect bunting bag. Despite being Norway-based, the brand’s products have made quite a name for themselves and are helping children across the globe to settle.

By Celina Tran | Photos: RisaRosa

Having always had a passion for crafts and needlework, and with an education in sewing and design, Hilde Widding started making bunting bags for her own children and at the request of family and friends in the late ‘80s. In 2011, she was awoken in the middle of the night by a clear vision of an idea she had been developing. Unable to go back to sleep, Widding ran to the shop first thing in the morning and returned with a basket of yarn, and soon, the first RisaRosa bunting bag was born.

What started as a work of passion suddenly gained attention after someone posted Widding’s work online. Overnight, the bag’s popularity skyrocketed and suddenly, Widding found herself receiving requests from everyone from expecting mothers to bloggers and influencers.

Knitted with love “Whether it’s for a client or simply for my own pleasure, I feel like I’m always working on these bunting bags,” Widding explains. “RisaRosa is my little baby. From knitting to sewing, I put so much love into these products.”

In fact, the name RisaRosa came from her own nicknames for her twin daughters, and thus the brand has always been a very personal project for her. “I’m very hands-on and knit many of the bunting bags myself. There’s something incredibly rewarding and emotional about being able to partake in such a big part of someone’s life,” she smiles. “Often, mothers or those who want to gift the bunting bag will contact me a few months before the baby’s arrival and we’ll start discussing the product. Sometimes, people want their bags to have a unique touch or an untraditional colour, and as every product is handmade, we can happily add personal touches or changes to the baby’s bunting bag.”

Widding says that she can prioritise an order if the baby is already born, and RisaRosa is always in close contact with the customer throughout the process. “The most rewarding part is to see how happy the customers are when they re-

ceive their product, second to seeing all the adorable photos they send us of their babies in the footmuffs, of course.”

Sustainability, quality, and locality RisaRosa has made the decision to keep production local, as it is more sustainable and allows the team to continue creating personal products. “Keeping the brand here also provides that personal, human touch to the product. We put our hearts into making these, and that is something I want us to continue,” Widding explains. “There are no limits to personalisation, because the products are handmade rather than mass produced.”

The local production also allows the team to ensure that every product is of the very best quality. In the past, Norwegian parents have found themselves having to dress their children in endless layers in order to keep them warm, but RisaRosa has removed this hassling obstacle. “We only use natural materials, such as wool, down and cotton. This is to make sure that the products breathe and regulate temperature. That way, the child doesn’t need to wear loads of clothes to stay warm.”

Widding also wanted the product to be washing-machine friendly, but down and wool are washed at two different temperatures. RisaRosa’s bunting bags are therefore detachable, making them more innovative and user friendly. As the down pouch is removable, it can also be used throughout the year and not just during the cold seasons.

A bunting bag that works wonders “We’ve been told by many customers that their children calm down when they’re put in our bunting bags. Some even bring the bag to bed,” she chuckles.

Some customers have also claimed that the product has helped their child get through their colic, allowing them to sleep through the night. “It’s hard to say what gives it that magic touch, but I do think the combination of the materials, their abilities and the design creates a very comforting and safe feeling.”

The bags’ popularity in Norway may be expected, but RisaRosa has produced products for beautiful infants all across the world. The bunting bag continues to comfort young children until they no longer fit in prams and are ready to take their next, or perhaps first, steps.

About the RisaRosa bunting bags: Measurements: 50x100cm

Zippers on both sides of the bag Bunting bag and inner duvet are detachable, and can be washed separately Can be produced with holes for the pram’s straps/harness Alternative materials for those with allergies or sensitive skin Thinner duvets available for other seasons

Web: www.risarosa.no Facebook: RisaRosa Instagram: @risarosadesign