"I want Adoore to be a safety net": Petra Tungården on building an empire of empowerment

It is hard to think about Scandinavia's fashion landscape without giving Adoore due credit. Founded by Petra Tungården in 2017, the label, known for its darling dresses and feminine silhouettes, has been credited with injecting some much-needed kitsch and colour into an overly minimalistic market.

When I log into the video call for my interview with Tungården a few minutes early, she is already poised and ready in front of the camera. Her skin is glowing, her hair perfectly coiffed, her nails expertly manicured with a mismatched tortoiseshell design. And, of course, she's wearing a dress from Adoore.

“I always wanted to work at a magazine,” she reminisces, as we get into our chat. “I was obsessed with them. Every Saturday, I took my money for candy, bought magazines, and then stole my siblings’ candy instead!” Tungården’s obsession with magazines led her, at age sixteen, to set up a blog filled with quotes and details of her daily life. A little way down the line, she came across Elin Kling of Toteme before her own respective brand was founded, posting photos of her outfits. Inspired by Kling, Tungården adapted her content and became a fashion blogger.

Related: Together in Toteme: Celebrating 10 years of partnership in design and love

Despite her affinity for magazines, Tungården wasn’t always as dress-obsessed as she is today. “I was very sporty,” she explains. “I played basketball and didn’t wear makeup – I was a bit of a tomboy.” When a childhood friend hosted an exchange student, Tungården was introduced to this new world. “She was studying fashion and makeup, so she did a makeover on me. I had never worn dresses or makeup before. We went to the party to celebrate the end of the basketball season, and I remember everyone looking at us and saying, ‘Oh my God!’ I wore a little dress and my hair was blow-dried. It was the first time I received compliments and had someone tell me that I looked nice. That was the moment that grew my interest.”

Tungården’s career didn’t begin in design. After university, she worked for the online platform Devote, then as a stylist and writer for the webshop Bubbleroom, before being recruited by the Swedish edition of the Metro. Here, she founded and served as editor-in-chief of the Metro Fashion page. It was during this tenure that Tungården identified a gap in the fashion retail market. “I’ve always been curvy,” she says. “Before, I was always looking for dresses that highlighted my curves, but I couldn’t find a brand that did it right. They were all just too tight, like the bandage dresses.”

Related: The dresses you need for every kind of summer occasion

This realisation was the spark that led to the creation of Adoore “I’ve been working with fashion for so many years. I wanted to create a brand that made you feel comfortable, and that had dresses you could keep for many years. I want Adoore to be a safety net; when you put it on, you feel like the best version of yourself.”

Adoore’s commitment to curves is evident in its extensive sizing range, which spans from a 32 to a 50, ensuring there's a fit for every body. “When I was a stylist, I would wear a size 40,” says Tungården. “Every time I went to a showroom or press office, they only had a size 36, so I could never wear the new collections. The same went for styling someone who was above size 42 – there were very few brands that had the bigger sizes. So I really wanted to create a brand that was for everyone. No matter what size you wear, you’re going to be able to wear an Adoore dress.”

The brand’s focus on body positivity is even reflected in its name. “We loved talking about how the brand would make you ‘Adoore’ your body, and ‘Adoore’ your style,” says the entrepreneur. “We played around with that a lot more at the beginning, but the idea behind the name still remains.”

“When I started the brand, I began it with a friend who came from the clothing industry, so he was more of the financial person,” Tungården explains, reflecting on how she balanced so many roles when Adoore was first founded. Throughout our conversation, she refers to these responsibilities as “hats” – some she still wears, while others have been passed on. “Two years ago, we hired a CEO,” she continues. “I was so nervous. The people who helped us hire her became my therapists as I kept calling them, asking if I should do it or not.”

Today, Tungården is certain it was the best decision she could have made. “I’m still involved in every big decision,” she explains. “She runs the company and handles the daily business while I serve as Adoore’s biggest visionary. Before she came in, we only looked to the next season. Now we have a four-year plan.”

It’s a far cry from the chaos that Tungården describes when speaking of the brand's beginnings. “We used to refer to ourselves as a fire department because we were putting out so many fires,” she laughs. “You have to have so much understanding and trust in every part of the process. I think the toughest years are the most important because that is where you learn all of the lessons. For sure, today it can still be a shit show at times, but now it’s fewer fires and more rewards.”

Over the years, Adoore has become known for its colourful, patterned and elegant designs, all named after cities around the globe. This process has slowly become more taxing as the collections grow larger – “ You want the dress to feel like that city, and you want it to be a nice city people want to be connected with – these days we’re doing a lot of Googling trying to come up with new ones!” Through all of these designs, Tungården resonates most with the perennial power of the Positano gown. “That dress is really living its best life,” she says. “People love it, and even get married in it! So it comes back year after year.”

Currently, on the Adoore website, this dress is available in 13 different prints. “People don’t realise that we do our prints in-house rather than buying already finished ones,” explains Tungården. “It takes so much effort – our print designer paints them all by hand. It is this that we wanted to highlight in our new campaign.”

The campaign Tungården refers to is the new ‘Adoore Gallery,’ which depicts a model visiting an art gallery, enrobed in the spring collection, taking in the works that are subtly filled with Adoore’s prints. This idea came from the mind of Tungården’s sister: “She came up with the idea that the prints shouldn’t be obvious,” Tungården explains. “For example, in one painting, the print is actually on the tablecloth. It’s a bit more abstract, like a real gallery. You have to look at the paintings and feel them. Some are big textural prints made with the fabric, and others have to be studied. It was a really fun campaign to do because it was so different to what we normally do.”

In honour of the campaign, Adoore hosted a dinner in their makeshift gallery, allowing the guest influencers to experience the art and discover the prints. “It really makes a story out of it,” says Tungården. “It allows customers to get to know the story behind the prints. I think it has really caught people’s eyes. Especially as Adoore is more known for its floral prints and this collection is far more, how should I say, in arty tones.”

2025 marks eight years of Adoore. “It feels crazy,” says Tungården, a look of disbelief crossing her face as she reflects on how much has been achieved in such a short period of time. “I get goosebumps just thinking of it. The whole journey has so many memories. What I feel most in my heart, though, is the admiration for all these young women who started their careers with us. I’ve seen them develop into their roles, and it’s been so exciting to follow them through the years. I feel like everyone’s Adoore Mama. It’s unreal.”

Explore 'The Adoore Gallery' campaign here: