Helsinki Design Week Part 4: 911 Late Night Shopping Event at Marita Huurinainen!

September 11, 2014

Helsinki Late Night Shopping Event usually lands on off-seasonal sale months, in order to present something fresh and nothing old to the event goers. Taking the ride at Helsinki Design Week, on Albertinkatu 28, luxury wearing designer Marita Huurinainen welcomes fashion lovers to enjoy some hot popcorn and delicious sushi for the short film premiere.  

When studying art and design at Musashino Art University, Designer Marita Huurinainen was deeply inspired by the natural use of wood material of Keta, therefore, WAVE concept has been occupied in designer’s mind ever since. The major problem of the production procedure is, that the factory owners in Finland shake their heads to Huurinainen, express the WAVE sandals making is almost impossible to achieve. Alas, Huurinainen found a furniture factory to try on, to test the possibility between the pressures and the curviness, and the short film at Albertinkatu studio tells the story behind the creation and art of WAVE collection.

Preparing the Late Night Shopping Event is never cozy. From group registration, event invitation, balloons, flyers and posters displaying, food shopping, sushi ordering, projector setting, studio cleaning, kitchenware placing and until the moment of guests visiting, the event is still very young. After the photo taking and short film showing, there are more neighbours saying hi, while the champagne is almost gone, tourists are curiously trying new pair of shoes. When the night finally falls, we need to replace the stereo, remove the litters, and reset the furniture back, have an office chat and sometimes more wine.

This is how a late night goes in 2014. September 11th 18:00-23:00. 13 years ago, I was almost stuck at Los Angeles International Airport due to the attack, now I am happily, busy, sharing the workload with a multi-cultural team in Helsinki. 

https://www.facebook.com/latenightshoppinghelsinki

Helsinki Design Week Part 3: Gloria Fashion Show II

Gloria Fashion Show II

September 6, 2014, 13:30

Helsinki is never a fashion destination occuring fashion buyers’ minds, though the capital of Finland never lacks talented fashion designers. From the annual Design Market in September, shoppers and experts can treasure hunt new designers’ brilliant pieces, among those I would like to point out Julja, Miun, Month of Sundays, Marita Huurinainen, Nurmi and SannaHopiavuori. Those designers either use ethical materials to make their clothes, or they knit the winter sweaters from their own hands. I do own their works of arts, because what I purchase reveal what I truely vote for. Wishfully in the near future, more of those names above can be seen at the catwalks, not just in the nordic cities, but during the major European fashion weeks. 

It’s a positive culture that Finland has never ever being a designer-brand victim, but it still remains a worry that limited brand chocies may decrease the local visionary of further creativity. Particulary, that a large amount of collection from Finnish local fast fashion brand Seppälä adapts  synthetic materials to make apparals by Chinese fabric workers, nevertheless, Seppälä exhibits its classy mirage on Gloria Fashion Show, as its collection were a high fashion brand to wish for. In fact, Seppälä collection does not rank a high quality among its comepetitors, even worse, the use of the fabrics and the techniques of sewing may much worse comparing to H&M or Mango.

Unfortunately, 2014 Gloria Fashion Show repeats too many familiar 2013 brand names, perhaps it is still a slightly tragic fashion karma of Finland: the market is too narrow to breed haute couture, the taste of wearing is too conservative to summon forign investors, and the expenses are too high to attract start-up to risk. Though I have never attended any fashion show in Taipei, but what I observe is that there are surely more high quality fashion flagship stores opening in Taiwan, such as Chanel, Dior, Fendi, Miu Miu, Prada, Salvadore Ferragamo, Vivienne Westwood, even Stella McCartney arrives at Taipei elegantly alredy.  

With the wildfire of fast fashion spreading across in major cities on earth, a leading fashion show held under a leading media group shall consider much carefully and understand its attendances, to express the core message in more an upscale purpose.  

www.helsinkidesignweek.com

Helsinki Design Week Part 2: Gloria Fashion Show I

September 6, 2014, 13:00

GLORIA is standing tall among of a few Finnish high fashion magazines under Sanoma Media Group. With the continuous growing readers and selling, in 2014 Helsinki Design Week, Gloria presents a nearly 1 hour cat-walk show on 6th of September, together with over 30 Nordic brands, such as Filippa K, Frenn, Joutsen, Kalevala, Marimekko and Marita Huurinainen, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary Helsinki Design Week.

A magazine can land a fame to the high fashion show/award, in UK there is ELLE, in Finland, Gloria is proving its stage in Ruoholahti. By the authorisation of Marita, I am very lucky to join the event as photographer. The show begins at 13:00. Unlike 2013 show was held under the white tent near Kiasma Museum, 2014 fashion location is much hidden on the 4th floor of Porkkalankatu business building. The receptionists lead the goers to the rows, and each empty seat awaits with a glossy big black Gloria Fashion Show freebie bag, welcomes the comers to feel warm and excited to anticipate the next step.

Gloria Editor-in-Chief gives the opening speech to greet every front/back rower, and the show starts. One of the largest retail group in Finland, Stockmann, whose self-brand collection is always colourful; Gant and Frenn handsome and cute male models always catch my eyes; Marimekko’s prints are as playful as always; Filippa K portraints sleek and clean-cut nordic lines; Marita Huurinainen releases it’s very first A/W women’s wear, using ethical fur and leather to lead the fashion and the future. What surprises me the most, is that my favourite dairy cream/sherbet Magnum also displays the icy white chiffon dress and leopard prints evening gown. Using the glittering litters as glorious opening attention, Magnum surely treat audiences a sweet and delicious experience at the show. 

Photography: Mindy Yuan 

www.helsinkidesignweek.com

Helsinki Design Week HDW 10 Anniversary Part 1: Opening Night Party

Vanha Ylioppilastalo 19:00-21:00

September has always been the major month in fashion industry of Europe. September issues amaze we readers, fashion weeks flock birds of feathers, and AW collection always excite every one of us. 2014 Heslinki Desgin Week celebrating its 10th anniversary, is more versatile than ever. Over 150 companies and communities joining (such as Gloria Fashion Show, Design Talks, Design Market, Open Studios, Late Night Shopping Event…..), as for a rather smaller fashion city in Europe, Helsinki is achieving and ready, as the design week slogan goes, Take the Leap.

Leading to the events coming, at Vanha Ylioppilastalo (The Old Student House in Finnish), Helsinki Design Week welcomes all the design comrades to celebrate the annivsary together, in order to compensate the upcoming non-stop working days.

Invited by our Managing Director, at 19:00, we join the opening speech, feel the atmosphere and take some drinks and tiramisu to enjoy the anniversary. We mostly chat about our team’s future projects, walk around and get some food to continue. It seems that the opening speech and DJ spinning cover the whole evening, without any further programme to occupy. Perhaps it gives away the freedom to encourage new comers to meet up, but at the same time, it’s not worthwhile staying over 2 hours or so.  The Old Student House Hall drops warm beamlight, the bar & snack corner is over crowded, and the attendances are exiting too soon for good. Relax, it’s just an appetizer, because the upcoming events will definitely drive us hot and hectic.

Photography: Mindy Yuan 

www.helsinkidesignweek.com