Yesterday I was privileged enough to attend the Finnish fashion label, Kaksitvå’s first ever runway show at the Cable Factory, in Helsinki.
The dynamic design duo, Piia Keto and Marjo Kuusinen, created the main body of their ideas for this Spring/Summer collection 2010 called JAALA, at a remote cottage in Eastern Finland last summer.
This could well be sensed in the show as music and seen in the collection as knots, weaving and prints derived from traditional folk techniques.
The atmosphere was fantastic - warm, friendly, creative and supportive. The evening started with a performance from the absolutely disarming amateur dance group Wannabe Ballerinas, and in the fashion show Saara Kivimäki’s stunningly beautiful shoe designs took my breath away. Also in the fashion show presented were styles from Elina Priha’s final project designed for Kaksitvå.
All together Jaala was a happy, truly individual, stylish and yet fully wearable collection.
By using non-professional models in the show - some with tattoos, some with really sexy round bums &such - Kaksitvå identified themselves as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to optimistic style, brand personality and approachability in the Finnish fashion scene.
Every single piece of clothing was something I would gladly wear myself and the entire flow of the show worked really well.
What especially grabbed my attention at the show, were the accessories. Kaksitvå’s recycled leather bags, knotted scarves and Saara Kivimäki’s wonderful shoes, truly made the clothes as well as the people carrying them sparkle. I can already see a huge & wonderful future for Kaksitvå accessories and for Saara’s shoes.
What most of all struck me yesterday about this show, is how few of them we have here in Finland, and knowing how reluctant the old school design + fashion scene of Helsinki & Finland is for a true change.
I applaud Kaksitvå for their always eligible, fun & succesful style, for their encapturing enthusiasm and of course radiant individuality. Well done girls, have fun in Mexico, you deserve it !
Kaksitvå’s Jaala -collection is available at Beamhill & Helsinki 10. For more info visit -
http://www.kaksitva.com/
All photos by courtesy of the brilliant Kai Kuusisto -
http://www.kaikuusisto.com
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Lately I’ve been spending quite a bit of time quietly planning upcoming projects and events, which you’ll all hear of soon enough.
In the meanwhile, here’s a special little treat for you my dear friends ! I’ve made some new laptop hoods that are now sold at MacPeople here in Helsinki. They are all individual and handmade by myself and even though I made them, I must say they are YUMMY !!
Go check these ones out at the MacPeople stores and remember that you can also order these custom made straight from me as well.
http://www.macpeople.fi/
Here’s some pics -
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Last weekend I got to go ice-fishing at a friend’s cabin. Even tough everyone in Finland seems to be wishing for the winter to finish already, I must say there are some things unique to Finland that you can only do in the winter. And let me tell you, it was so much fun to get out of the city. Now the spring can begin, please !
I took my camera and a few photos from the trip -
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Mimi & Lula is new Finnish high fashion brand making beautiful quality coats for modern independent women.
The company has design values I definitely recommend supporting.
They use excellent materials, all coats are designed with special care to detail and everything is produced in Europe.
Their classic yet contemporary styles are easy to combine what ever your own personal style is and comfortable to wear.
In my opinion Mimi & Lula represent exactly the kind of fashion design Finland needs more of.
I had the pleasure of photographing their first ever collection for this Spring. Here’s a few photos from the shoot -
Their first collection for Spring/Summer 2010 is out now - watch this space !
http://www.mimiandlula.com/
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Last friday I participated in an ecological ice skating fashion event in the centre of Helsinki. Next to the central railway station in Helsinki, there’s a public ice rink - a fun break from the norm, that is easy and inexpensive to approach for anyone visiting Finland or living in central Helsinki.
I, together with designers Kaisa Riivari and Mirkka Metsola; made hats, hoods, leg-warmers and wrist-warmers out of recycled sweaters etc, to the people skating. Everyone who bought an ice skating ticket got an accessory designed and made by one of us.
The ages of our customers varied as much as the nationality and race. It seemed like everyone skating enjoyed themselves loads and we all as designers had a fantastic time communicating to the public and working together !
Here’s a few photos from the event -
http://www.kaisariivari.fi/
http://www.mirkkametsola.com/
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February 22nd, 2010 · Design.
The Institute of Design in Lahti has for a few years presented a yearly exhibition at the Artek store in Helsinki. Every year the quality of products exhibited has, in my opinion, gotten better and better.
Last thursday was the opening of this year’s exhibit and it seems to have hit the jackpot !
The products as well as the visuals of the exhibition, are completely professional looking, well thought trough and properly fine tuned to assure an accomplished looking end result. What is best, this year the entire exhibition also really suites Artek’s own timeless style in a contemporary way. Well done everyone !!!
I highly recommend this one !
UNI ON 2010: 19.2.–6.3.2010 // Exhibition of the Lahti Institute of Design
http://www.union2010.com/
Photography from the exhibition by Antti Ahtiluoto -
What is sustainable development and aesthetics? How to make something needed not trivial?
UNI ON 2010 exhibition presents furniture prototypes from the students of Lahti Institute of Design. Welcome to see the new design generation’s view about the challenges and dreams of our time.
Tekijät / Participating students:
Harri Homi
Petteri Häkkinen
Juri Karinen
Arttu Kuisma
Sampsa Laiho
Janne Melajoki
Mikko Murtonen
Mikko Ristimäki
Teemu Tissari
Tuomas Tolvanen
Tuula Vitie
Visuaalinen ilme / Visualization:
Aleksi Ahjopalo
Lauri Toikka
Lauri Tujula
Multimedia:
Aku Seppälä
Tuotekuvat / Press photos:
Justus Kontiola
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February 5th, 2010 · Art., Design.
Reggae Sundays - Collie Buddz
I have the honour of knowing and working with someone who I consider an absolute graghic design wonderboy. This person is Aleksi Ahjopalo.
His style is colourful, without looking silly, crude or childish. Invariably his work has an upbeat feel to it, yet it is always suitable for the occasion it is designed for. He also manages to make his work look at the same time contemporary and straightforward, yet with an aged, natural effect to it.
Aleksi spends a lot of time finessing his pieces, perfecting details and often creating the typefaces himself. He uses many ‘organic’ elements in his work, for example letters cut out of grass in the Collie Buddz poster, or eroded paper as background. This gives a fantastic lively effect to his work. Aleksi also often uses many layers in one piece, yet they never look too complicated for the viewer, because he has a natural understanding of layout. His background as an artist is in graffiti and I think this shows in his work in a completely fresh way.
All together Aleksi Ahjopalo’s work is in it’s approachability, complexity and sense of form and style, a breath of fresh air in young Finnish graphic design and no doubt he will go far in his career as a visionary in this new decade to come.
Aleksi’s poster work is in my opinion where his graphic style shows as it’s best, as he gets to use all the humour and texture, that make his own individual style so great. Here’s a few examples of his club posters -
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Reggae Sundays - Collie Buddz
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You can find more works and contact Aleksi at -
http://www.ahjopalo.com/
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January 31st, 2010 · Art.
Kettu 2000 on kolmen nuoren valokuvataiteilijan, Emma Suomisen, Pinja Sormusen ja Vanessa Virmajoen, muodostama kollektiivi. Kollektiivin projekti Toiset Kengät on esillä Galleria Jangvassa tammikuussa 2010.
Toiset Kengät on projekti, jossa taiteilijat vaihtoivat elämänsä viikon ajaksi. Vaihtoon meni kaikki: perhe ja ystävät, asunnot, työt, koulu, vaatteet, rahat, tietokoneet ja puhelimet. Ennen vaihtoviikkoa naiset olivat kirjoittaneet elämäänsä astujalle toimintaohjeet, joiden avulla vaihtoviikosta selvittiin.
Tarkoitus oli kirjaimellisesti täyttää toisen kengät, mutta myös yrittää arjessa päästä kiinni toisen identiteettiin ja ajatusmaailmaan.
Elämää toisena dokumentoitiin päivittäisillä omakuvilla. Omakuvien lisäksi jokainen tulkitsi viikkoa vapain keinoin. Taiteilijoiden kokemuksia toisen identiteetin omaksumisesta, sen vaikeuksista ja onnistumisista, esitetään Galleria Jangvassa videoinstallaation muodossa.
Projektin osallistujat olivat keskenään samanikäisiä, mutta melko erilaisissa elämäntilanteissa. Pinja Sormunen asuu Eirassa poikaystävänsä kanssa ja opiskelee valokuvausta Taideteollisessa korkeakoulussa. Pinja opiskelee myös japanin kieltä ja harrastaa mm. meditaatiota. Pinjan elämään astui Emma Suominen.
Emma on freelance-valokuvaaja Helsingin Punavuoresta. Hänen arkensa koostuu töistä, perheestä, ystävistä, kulttuurista, liikunnasta ja juhlista. Emman kenkiin astui viikon ajaksi Vanessa Virmajoki.
Vanessa asuu Itä-Lontoossa veljensä ja kahden kämppiksensä kanssa. Hän valmistui valokuvaajaksi kesällä 2009. Vanessa elämään kuuluu sekalaiset kuvaustyöt ja laaja ja värikäs ystäväpiiri. Vanessan roolin otti viikoksi Pinja Sormunen.
Projektilla on verkossa yleisölle avoin blogi osoitteessa http://kettu2000.blogspot.com/
Näyttely Galleria Jangvassa 29.1. - 14.2. 2010
Avoinna ti-pe klo 11-19, la ja su 11-17
SUOSITTELEN LÄMPIMÄSTI !
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Hey, do you kids remember the ‘Captain Planet and the Planeteers’ -cartoons ? Captain Planet used to be my absolute favourite superhero !
Honestly the entire cartoon was so ahead of it’s time in it’s ideology.
With his Forest Green hair and his blue skin, Captain Planet is summoned whenever the five Planeteers combine the forces of their elemental rings. This emphasizes the show’s premise that only by working together people can protect the planet and provide solutions to environmental problems.
No my dear friends, this entry has nothing to do with cartoons .. The fact of the matter is that a very good friend of mine, jewellery designer Tanja Kurittu, makes rings that I imagine the Planeteers would’ve worn !
Photography by Tanja Kurittu.
By using car and bicycle reflector found on the streets, combined with sturdy handmade silver base, Tanja creates beautiful jewellery that embodies the green values of today’s society and recycling in a completely modern and fresh way. She produces jewellery that is unique and beautiful, and makes simple otherwise unusable broken reflector glass look valuable and last for years to come.
I seriously admire anyone that’s able to make something so commonplace and generally unseen, look so valuable and precious ! Is that not how recycling should be done so even the most reluctant consumers can enjoy it.
I reckon that too much of today’s ‘recycling fashion’ in Finland is tied up in this idea of ‘retro’ that’s just growing way too boring ..
Also, undoubtedly a lot of people like to support green values and recycling but rarely want to look the part. This is why, I think recycling in fashion should become more subtle and unobtrusive. In my opinion, Tanja is the master of this in her jewellery.
And .. what a better way of attracting attention, then to lift up one of Tanja’s pieces up to the light like one of the planeteers 
I asked Tanja to create a portrait of I Made This and here’s the necklace as a result.
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Photography by Tiina Palm.
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Photography by Tanja Kurittu.
If you’re interested in Notice Me ! -jewellery, contact Tanja Kurittu at tanjakurittu@gmail.com.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010 EVERYONE !
I have a feeling this will be our decade - a time to make a change, to start a peaceful revolution of our own making. A change of attitudes of our design, in our own style and with our own ideals behind it all.
For me this change really started when I returned to Finland, to Lahti, to study design in 2004. In the seven years I spent abroad, a massive shift in the subcultures of Finland had begun to happen. As always, the changes in society start from the smallest and most intimate circles - art, design, culture, music - and spread to the general population.
In Finland, in the last ten years, young people have really started to get their self-esteem together and now celebrate their own ideals and beliefs, leaving behind the dusty old rules of the previous generations. The massive growth of reggae music in popularity is, in my opinion, a good indicator of this transformation.
Coming from West London, home of Caribbean culture in London, to Lahti, I admittedly expected the worst - small-mindedness, prejudice, negativity ..
And no doubt all those things can be found there as well as anywhere else, but luckily I was mostly proved wrong in my fears, and what I found in Lahti was instead a fantastic music scene.
A huge part of that scene is Pouta Sound, one of the greatest reggae soundsystems in Finland at the moment.
Pouta Sound’s new year parties have become legendary and this year I decided to document the event in Torvi, Lahti, Finland.
Here’s some pics -
Next post will be more in depth about Pouta Sound - look out !
http://www.myspace.com/poutasound
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