For a long time, Finnish fashion has been associated with one name: . But, happily, that’s now changing thanks to a new crop of designers that have emerged in recent years, from 2022 Hyères Grand Prize winner to former Galeries Lafayette Prize winner . This year’s event highlighted the buzz around Finnish designers right now, with both Hytönen and Ekroth taking part in a joint runway show at the city’s shipyard alongside , and .
“We felt there wasn’t a platform for new brands, for the next thing from Finland,” Martta Louekari, co-organizer of Fashion in Helsinki and communications director at Juni, tells . “It’s also important that the Finns themselves see what is [happening] here.” Indeed, Finnish brands have typically left their home country in order to find success, with the likes of Ekroth, Vain, and all showing at in recent seasons.
It’s why Fashion in Helsinki isn’t a traditional Fashion Week but rather a showcase for local brands. (Most designers presented collections they had previously shown elsewhere during the three-day event.) “When we started, we thought there’s no point for us to try to compete with other Fashion Weeks,” Louekari continues.
“We’re never going to have the resources for that.” Instead, the focus is on highlighting creativity and the processes behind the designers’ creations while having fun doing it. Case in point: Ervin Latimer’s alter ego, Anna Conda, hosted a drag bingo night for international guests on.