FASHION IN HELSINKI PRESENTS EMERGING FINNISH FASHION
The Fashion in Helsinki event, which celebrated fashion and creativity, took over the Finnish capital from May 29 to 31. The events included a runway show in a 200-year-old shipyard and the first-ever Finnish Fashion Awards. The highlight of the week was a runway show that presented a curated edition of the best Finnish brands, including menswear brands Rolf Ekroth and Vain, as well as women’s collections Hedvig, Jenny Hytönen, and Sofia Ilonen. The runway show venue, the Helsinki Shipyard, is a huge dry dock built in 1865. Usually filled with ice-breakers and cruise vessels, the vast pool was empty for Finnish fashion to take over.
“The focus [of Fashion in Helsinki] is on highlighting creativity and the processes behind the designers’ creations while having fun doing it,” wrote Emily Chan, the Senior Sustainability & Features Editor, in her report for British Vogue. “It’s clear that the future is bright for Finnish fashion brands.”
Finnish Fashion Awards: An Evening for the Community
The first-ever Finnish Fashion Awards were held on May 31st.
“This was an evening for the fashion community. We wanted to start a new tradition of acknowledging success, validating creativity, and giving recognition. The event found its purpose, and it is here to stay”, said Jani Niipola, Editor-in-Chief of Fashion Finland, one of the organizers.
According to the international jury, the list of winners spoke volumes about the creativity and quality of the Finnish fashion scene.
”The list of winners emphasizes the Finnish fashion industry’s versatility, innovation, and diversity. That is something we can be very proud of”, said Miia Koski, CEO of Juni Communication, an agency that organizes both Fashion in Helsinki and Finnish Fashion Awards.
Awards were given in nine categories: New Talent winner, Designer Ildar Wafin’s jewelry exhibits exceptional talent and craftsmanship. Branding winner Samu-Jussi Koski for Borse e Cose and Jeans & Towels is considered one of Finland’s leading designer names. VIBAe Shoes received the scaling award: The shoe manufacturing company has grown remarkably in the last year. With collaborations with brands like Comme des Garçons under their belt, 95 percent of VIBAe’s sales are global.
The Retail award went to Beamhill, whose three stores have sold high fashion in Finland for three decades and supported young, emerging Finnish designers. An E-Commerce award was given to Ninyes, a startup focused on designing and creating secondhand online stores for brands. During the last year, they have worked with Finnish brands such as Halti and Joutsen.
Makeup artist Jenny Jansson, known for her brilliant work in fashion shows and editorials in Finland and abroad, took home the beauty award.
An Innovation x Collaboration award wen to Waste management company Lounais-SuomenJätehuolto, which has collaborated on upcycled collections with both Latimmier and VAIN, presented at Copenhagen Fashion Week. The Sustainability Award went to Latimmier, a brand that has been active in inclusion, social sustainability, and the circular economy.
Most Engaging Social Media went to Vitun Leija, a young brand that has truly mastered the digital space in creating hype, audience, and brand.
The Finnish Fashion Awards jury included Jani Niipola (Editor-in-Chief, Fashion Finland), Miia Koski (CEO, Juni Communication), Fabio Baum (General Manager, Nordic & Benelux, Zalando) Linda Turunen (Aalto University), Henri Kulvik (Investor, Sifter Capital), Claudia Cifu (Stylist), Maiju Niskanen (Category Director, Women’s Fashion, Stockmann), Laura Laakso (Country Manager, Tise Finland), Allyson Shiffman (Journalist, Vogue Scandinavia), Linda Permanto (Marketing and Brand Director, Novita), Kirsi Juva (Executive Director, Finnish Design Info), Katarina Siltavuori (Executive Director, Archinfo), Stephan Rabimov (Journalist, Forbes.com) and Jenny Hyvärinen (Communications Manager, L’Oréal).
Juni Communication & Fashion Finland organized the Finnish Fashion Awards in collaboration with NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa 1664 Blanc / Sinebrychoff.
Juni Communication and Minttu Vesala organized the Fashion in Helsinki runway show. The partners were Helsinki Shipyard, Redken, and Lancome.