So last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the opening of an event that presented the photography of Ville Juurikkala with “Islander” and you can enjoy that narrative HERE. It was held at the Ivana Helsinki NYC Concept Shop and this is a store that focuses on and specializes in things that are Finnish in nature.
At that event I met some really nice people and they were discussing a bit of a fashion event that was happening the following week, and I decided that if I was free that I would be sure to drop by. The presentation was called “Northern Oddities” Volume 2 and would feature six interesting Finnish Designers. Among them would be Sipila, Titimadam, SuperYellow, Polkka Jam, &Bros, and On The Lam. I got there nice and early to mingle and have used some of the official press release text to line out the designers wares. Those pieces will be in italics for easier reference 🙂
So let’s take a walk around inside shall we? I’ll try to keep the dialogue to a minimum to allow for your easier enjoyment of the sites and happenings. Let’s start out by saying hello to our charming front desk girl Oonamaria.
The two trays you see here are some tasty delights from a company called Northern Rye and these are Finnish Rye treats. There were several flavors of these to sample and I had two of the offered up four kinds in the first tray. I opted for the rice and the spinach one but didn’t get to sample the potato or other one. The second tray is more of a dessert offering and was made with chocolate. I loved that one probably the best and the samples were gone in a blink of an eye.
Once again there was plenty of Kopparberg cider on hand to enjoy. Last time around I had the strawberry lime and this time I opted for the pear. Very nice. Very, very nice. Now let’s get on to some of the designs.
SIPILÄ: Linda Sipilä’s clean-lined, timeless SIPILÄ collection is designed for the modern, style-conscious woman. Her work is characterized by exceptional design, high-quality materials, and superb finishing. She is also the winner of Finnish verson of Project Runway.
On the lam: Graphic t-shirts and other design projects from outerwear attire to accessories and beyond.
Polkka Jam: Polkka Jam is an illustration and design studio with 10 years of experience in producing unique prints and patterns. While creating visual joy for everyday life, they aim to keep production as local and ecological as possible. All our products are manufactured in Finland. Welcome to see their illustrated world!
This is Paivi, one of the many staffers at Ivana Helsinki. She was trying to shoot me in action while I did my thing.
Don’t worry, I was shooting her back 🙂 Oh and look here it’s Santa Claus or as I was calling him tonight “Sid Claus”. He is one of the designers for On The Lam.
SUPERYELLOW: SUPERYELLOW is an energetic and fresh accessories and clothing brand which creates unique products with contemporary design. Their designs combine prints and patterns in original ways. Quality of products and ethical views play an important role in the company’s values and all products are Designed and made in Finland.
Here’s Lilli Danschu-Cheeseman of On The Lam; She is also one of the designers of the line. Had to do my press shot since that is kind of what I do at stuff like this.
Here’s Laura of “FINNYC”; What a cool name that is for a brand (and I would know). Laura’s got some great ideas about promoting the Finnish culture over here and she has a strong love of the music scene. Methinks she and I have not seen the last of each other. Stay tuned. Oh yeah, you can hit up her link later on as well. I was not going to leave that out because I really think a lot of positive benefit will be found in her work.
titiMadam: titiMadam believes that design should not be taken too seriously. Their playful jewellery and funky home collection has been made with love. Not forgetting that humor should always be part of our lives. Already successful in Europe they want to take over US!
&Bros: &Bros is a design studio from Helsinki that designs and produces high class ceramic objects and textiles with an interesting twist to cheer up your home! Products are designed, handprinted and made in Finland.
I made sure to get a side moment with the ladies before they got back to the hustle and bustle of the event.
Here are those Finnish Ryes I showed you on a plate a little earlier. As you can see, boxed up and ready for purchase here tonight.
More from Super Yellow…
More from Polkka Jam…
This is Anna (she’s an event planna – sorry it rhymed and I couldn’t resist)…
Another new friend made with the lovely Annika. We met at the “Islander” exhibit and she learned about this event from my broadcasting it.
Here’s our now long time friend Anne St. James being silly with another guest at the show. I do not get the whole “fake mustache thing” I am afraid.
Paivi shot Anna and I with some Kopparberg ciders and I mused how this was good promotion for the company and that they should send us some more. You might not notice but these were now empty bottles. The supply had run dry.
And that is all we have folks, I hope you enjoyed our little presentation. I am not too sure when I will return to the shop, but it was a friendly and fun atmosphere and I will gladly help support and promote anything that I find might to be interesting to you as well. For now, please do follow the links below and tell them we sent you….
Official Website: http://www.ivanahelsinki.com/
Official Website: http://finnyc.com/
Official Website: http://northernrye.com/
Official Website: http://www.superyellow.fi//
Official Website: http://www.polkkajam.com/
Official Website: http://www.titimadam.com/
Official Website: http://home.andbros.fi/
Official Website: http://lindasipila.com/
Official Website: http://www.onthelamnyc.com/