Designer presentations
Hanna Sarén (born 1965) created her first collection, consisting of bags and clogs, in Japan in 2000. Clothing and shoe collections were soon to follow. Currently the Hanna Sarén brand encompasses women's and men's collections, shoes, bags and accessories. A children's collection was launched recently. Sarén's designs always start from the material. Her products can be identified by a touch of craft in the details, such as embroidery or mother-of-pearl and powder finishes – simultaneously experimental and commercial in design. www.hannasaren.com
Minna Parikka (born 1980) has always been into shoes. She designed her first shoes for herself when she was only 15. The Minna Parikka brand was launched in 2005, and currently her shoes are sold in ten countries. Her inspiration lies in emotions – the collections always display contrasting feelings between girlish innocence and aggressive exhibitionism. Fashion is at its most beautiful when a sense of play and humour are involved, believes Parikka. www.minnaparikka.com
Anna Ruohonen (born 1967) settled in Paris after graduating as a clothing and textile designer. She is known for her out-of-the-ordinary men's collections: elegance, surprising materials, magnified forms and special details. She wants to play with mental and visual contrasts. Her women's collection Feminine Aspects was launched in 2001–2002. www.annaruohonen.com
Kirsti Kasnio, architect and fashion designer, makes versatile use of pleating in the design of her dresses. Perfected to a tee, her dresses are structurally simple with a pure and statuesque form. By using pleating, a rare technique nowadays, Kasnio makes her dresses flow lightly and softly. Her company, Studio Kirsti Kasnio, was founded in 2002. www.kirstikasnio.com
Nanso Group is the second-largest textile and clothing company in Finland and one of the leading players in the field in the Nordic countries. The designer duo Rinne-Niinikoski (Piia Rinne, born 1973 and Noora Niinikoski, born 1972) created a Fairtrade-cotton collection for Nanso in which the colour splendour of flower meadows meets the forms of structured design. The duo is known mainly for their hand-printed, embroidered and embellished one-of-a kind pieces but they are also interested in the processes of industrial manufacture and the new challenges related to it. www.nanso.com
The women behind the Haaksiluoto brand are fashion designer Päivi Haaksiluoto (born 1973) and textile artist Jaana Haaksiluoto (born 1975). The speciality of Haaksiluoto products lies in their skilful cuts and carefully designed details, combining a Scandinavian style with classic forms and Japanese minimalism. The outfits are sensible, unique and innovative, as exemplified by the pieces that both warm you and complement your evening wear. www.haaksiluoto.com
Tiia Vanhatapio (born 1969) dubs her style "Dark Couture": feminine, dramatic, sensual, black. Her collections feature evening dresses, cocktail dresses and fur; the Quelle Jolie Bébé! baby-couture line was launched in 2005. www.vanhatapio.fi
Founded in 2000 in New York by Finnish designers Sanna Kantola (born 1972) and French designer Bruno Beaugrand (born 1971), Lumi Accessories is a company specialising in the manufacture of bags and accessories. The main material of the first collection, snow-white felt, brought about the brand name Lumi (Finnish for snow). Today, Lumi products are sold in over 25 countries around the world. Lumi Accessories operates both in Helsinki and in New York. www.lumiaccessories.com
The vainio-seitsonen fashion duo formed by Merja Seitsonen (born 1963) and Johanna Vainio (born 1966) moves effortlessly in the uncharted borderlands of fashion and art. In Finland, team Vainio-Seitsonen have been showcasing their original working methods and sources of inspiration, for example, in art galleries. They feel it is important to observe societal phenomena and to collaborate with artists from various fields. www.vainioseitsonen.com
