Cities have destinies, too. Anchored at the threshold of the Nordic world and the formidable expanse of Russia, Helsinki has had its share of moments in the spotlight of history. Since 1931, espionage and high Fashion were all the rage at the iconic Hotel Torni. The Cold War was served on the rocks here. A visit from Josephine Baker sealed the geopolitical notoriety of the place. In 1975, the Helsinki Accords created the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). That looks quaint now, like a vintage dress at a flea market. This spring Finland joined NATO and hosted military exercises in the Arctic.

Rocker Käärijä turned up the geopolitical heat becoming a viral fan-favorite in the Eurovision Song Contest with an unlikely summer anthem Cha Cha Cha. His signature neon green looks put the Finnish design in a rare focus. Topping off the list of historic milestones, Helsinki-Vantaa was voted Best European Airport 2023. How does a city and its creative community seize a moment like that?

Fashion in Helsinki is a platform for new Finnish talent co-created by Juni Communication and Aalto University. I spoke with some of the participating designers about their choice to opt for a domestic showcase versus presenting in one of the more established fashion capitals. I was also curious about their take on the challenges emerging brands face in the global retail arena. What’s Carpe Diem in Finnish?

New Must-Know Finnish Brands

Aalto Recoded

“The raw and the innocent” was one of the show’s taglines. Tuomas Merikoski blurs the lines between contemporary urban wear and historical costume. “Helsinki is in our identity, so showing here adds authenticity. The whole experience is different, because it’s an honor to introduce the media and buyers to a new culture,” says the designer. The visionary brand is driven by a cool idea of scaling luxury upcycling to commercial prêt-à-porter volume. The team sources large amounts of discarded clothes or discontinued textiles to give them another chance at a lifetime of style. Each “new” garment received a serial number and QR code with materials provenance and care instructions. It’s a novel hi-tech approach to an age-old dilemma of how to curate a future-savvy vintage wardrobe. A clever and timely offering that deserves attention. Merikoski understands the fashion zeitgeist with its potential and challenges. “The international market loves all things Scandi and Nordic right now. It’s important to have a platform that can secure high-level visibility more systematically as magic doesn’t happen overnight.”

By Hinders

Jonathan Ingberg set up his fashion design studio on a farm in the Inkoo archipelago just south of Helsinki. The family raises an indigenous breed of sheep known in the ancient Nordic world for the exceptional wool quality. The brand is a result of experiments with wool processing and natural dying. “We are first and foremost a Finnish brand. Showing here holds great allure for us, because it establishes a profound connection between our brand and its roots. It also helps celebrate Finland’s exceptional craftsmanship and stunning landscapes and vibrant culture with a global reach,” comments Ingberg. Right now, the gender-neutral aesthetic of this young slow fashion brand appeals both to the latest trendwatchers and those who are above the hype. Its serene color palette alone can be a grounding experience. “Establishing brand recognition beyond regional identity is a crucial challenge. Transitioning from a small direct-to-consumer brand to wholesale retailer presents another significant learning curve. However, we believe we can thrive in the global fashion industry with the right support,” says the designer.

Latimmier

Pitti Uomo is arguably the world’s most prestigious menswear platform. It takes visionary recklessness to launch one’s brand in Florence on the premise of “deconstructing masculinity”. In 2022, Ervin Latimer did just that. Now the designer has brought his singular point-of-view home. “Showing our work in Helskinki makes a statement: there is something worthwhile going on in the Finnish fashion scene. I find it’s like cheering for a national team for fashion. There is a wonderful comradery among us,” notes Latimer. The whimsical cuts, slightly off kilter classic silhouettes, trompe-l’œil details challenge both the idea of who can perform masculinity as well as how one succeeds or fails at this monumental task. Whenever on-trend design meets on-point social critique, the recipe for greatness is in place. Whether or not it delivers greatness remains to be seen. “There is very little patience in Finland currently for long haul business models, but the potential is enormous. There is a stereotype that Finns are great with innovation and product but not so good with branding and messaging,” shares the designer. “I think there are many creatives in Finland who are desperately lacking in financing to take their message to the next level.”

Rolf Ekroth

He studied psychology, played poker professionally, and collaborated with a 375-year-old home utensils brand. Ever inspired by his youth, Ekroth designs multifunctional pieces with a touch of dark humor. His collections are infused with a particular kind of Finnish nostalgia: slow winters spent daydreaming about summer (mis)adventures on the water. “Even though most of us [brands] are probably focused on getting attention abroad, it is very important to show in our home country. We had the opportunity to study at one of the best fashion schools in the world and I think that’s something to be proud of and to celebrate. I’m always excited to give back to this community,” notes Ekroth. He is focused on creating statement garments that can stand the test of time in terms of craftsmanship, aesthetics, and value. Like a whimsically tailored jacket adorned with 230 handmade friendship bracelets, these are wearable keepsakes. He wants to make clothes that “make you feel like a better version of yourself.” Along the way, he is making the manufacturing process better with Bio2Textile which uses straw, a typically discarded agricultural residue, as its raw material. Innovation requires great stamina for extensive uphill climbs. “It’s really boring, but it comes down to funding. We don’t have an established culture of sponsorships, so it’s difficult to get help at the beginning of a career,” shares the designer. “But just to be clear, we have a solid creative foundation here and I hope someday we can compete with the more streamlined fashion systems abroad.”

VAIN

Sure, it’s monochrome, but when done right, the black-and-white aesthetics can reveal stunning emotional complexity. The interdisciplinary brand is rooted in the millennial angst driven by videogames, social media, metal music, and memes. Its viral breakthrough came from upcycling McDonalds uniforms on TikTok. With the economic and political futures uncertain as ever, the silver lining becomes a choice one must make daily. “Most of our work is happening abroad, so a physical show in Helsinki is a meaningful way to connect with our main audience back home who have been supporting us from the beginning,” says co-founder and creative director Jimi Vain. It was one of the first Scandinavian fashion brands on Discord. It has conquered the Pitti Uomo critics. It is doing the right things “by the book” while reinventing the rules of engagement in the hybrid physical/digital retail. What does it take to make it in today’s global fashionscape? “More or less all the new brands in Finland are struggling to raise funding to enter the international market,” notes co-founder and CEO Roope Reinola. The challenge of figuring out the proverbial next steps into the Unknown is powering emerging brands and platforms.

Local Event with a Global Impact

Producing an international fashion event takes not only tremendous resources and dedication, but a great deal of faith in the future as well. For all its “frivolous reputation,” fashion as an industry is a long-term multiplayer high-strategy game. It relies on the curiosity and courage of the media, the buyers, the influencers. “Visiting Helsinki gave me a better idea about the Finnish sense of fashion. Rich cultural heritage and safe social environment contribute to greater freedom of self-expression. The designers got everything right, and I believe they deserve more attention,” said Ekaterina Glazunova, Head Buyer at Tom Greyhound Paris.

There’s no better way to fall in love with a style than to see it in person in its natural habitat, so to say. Events such as Fashion in Helsinki facilitate the process of discovery. “Finnish fashion today is an open challenge to the heterogeneous status quo. The Finnish Generation Z is concerned with community building and sharing, liquidation of gender normativity and other self-limitations. The culture here seems to be embracing and encouraging young creatives. It is really where fashion is aspiring to be right now. Finland is setting an example for other markets still debating the right balance between commercial and sustainable,” reflects Meital Shapira, buyer at Printemps.

Scandinavian design has long enjoyed a solid reputation for its reverence towards nature and focus on social equality. “Finnish design is organic both in its forms and materials. It is also human-centric and highly functionalist. This makes it easy to relate to and approach,” notes Petri Burtsoff, Helsinki Correspondent for Monocle. “Check out the work of Vaarnii, Nikari, Antrei Hartikainen, Johanna Gullichsen, Finarte, Poiat or Juslin Maunula. Their authenticity appeals to our most basic human instincts to declutter our minds and be in touch with the natural world.”

Vain, Latimmier, and Rolf Ekroth, and Hedvig are the four young brands selected for the Finnish presentation at the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) next month. The collaboration strengthens the Denmark-Finland ‘axis of cool’ across the Baltic Sea.

Art Reasons to Visit Helsinki Now

How much do the Finns love art? Just last week Paavo Arhinmäki, deputy mayor of Helsinki and former minister for culture and sports, was caught on CCTV graffitiing a tunnel. Even political scandals in Finland are powered by creativity. For legal street-style expression, visit Amos Rex gallery for its triennial exhibition of emerging Finnish art talent under the age of 25. “How can we change a relationship where one side has benefited from the constant subjugation of the other?” Fifty artists are tackling this zeitgeist dilemma in myriad ways.

The national Design Museum, which is celebrating 150th anniversary this year, has staged a fascinating retrospective of textile artist Kustaa Saksi. Aptly titled In the Borderlands, it runs through October 15, 2023.

Art lovers who choose to finally tick Finland off their travel bucket list will also be rewarded with the second edition of Helsinki Biennial. The works of 29 artists are hosted by HAM, “the city wide art museum”, as well as organized into a trek through the 17th century navy fortifications and old gunpowder cellars on Vallisaari Island. The (un)natural, the (anti)social, and the divine are inextricably intertwined in the Helsinki art scene.

There are also the outdoors music festivals under the Midnight Sun. August brings the legendary Hellsinki Metal Festival, the exceptional Viapori Jazz on the UNESCO World Heritage site Suomenlinna, and Flow Festival, one of Europe’s largest pop-rock music events with 150+ acts. Festivals also serve as a great opportunity to wear the latest fashions supporting local designers. And who knows, you might fall in love with a spy at Hotel Torni.