A Cavalcade of Colours and Interesting Forms at the Spring Fashion Show
01.06.2011
New collections designed by students from the Degree Programme in Fashion and Clothing Design at the Aalto University School of Art and Design were presented to the public on Thursday 26 May.
A total of three shows took place in the course of one evening, and the premises of Media Centre Lume were packed with audiences interested in fashion, art and trends. The catwalk was even visited by a polar bear, a product of the handiwork of designer Patrik Prusak.
In addition to final projects by MA and BA graduates in arts, the show, boasting a range of colourful and original solutions, also displayed collections implemented in courses and workshops of the Degree Programme.
In the past year, events organised by the Degree Programme in Fashion and Clothing Design have attracted an increasing amount of media attention, and collections by the students have been presented in numerous publications both in Finland and abroad, even as far away as Japan.
Five awards were presented to promising young designers at the invitation-only event. A joint award was presented by Fashion Editor Mia Dillemuth of Elle Magazine, Noora Niinikoski of Marimekko and Contributing Editor Junsuke Yamasaki of Vogue Hommes Japan. The award, worth EUR 1500, was granted to Sofia Järnefelt.
"I really enjoyed the show; it has a beautiful, distinctly Finnish mood. I was pleased to present this award to Sofia, whose collection combines simplicity with beautiful femininity," states Junsuke Yamasaki.
The Diesel Award was handed to Janni Turtiainen by Marketing Manager Susanna Kivisilta, who related the reasons for the choice on behalf of Heikki Salonen, who was in Italy at the time. The prize sum was EUR 1500.
"The recipient of the award is also welcome to join us at Diesel for a practical training period," was the message conveyed from Salonen.
The award by the school's cooperation partner BMW was presented by Corporate Marketing Manager Roope Lahti. The EUR 1500 award was granted to Anna-Mari Leppisaari.
"The award-winning collection gives an air of elegance, but the nuances beneath the surface provide an element joyfulness and make it more interesting."
For the first time, Finnish clothing company Seppälä also gave out an award at the fashion show. Design Manager Arja Paakkola-Saarinen presented the EUR 1000 award to Sofia Järnefelt, who now collected her second award for the day.
"What a show! The award-winning collection reflects the artist’s identity, which is already a complete one, and the new material solutions are exquisite," Paakkola-Saarinen described the grounds for the decision.
The fresh MA graduate Sofia Järnefelt was almost speechless as she came to collect her award.
"This is very surprising and quite incredible," the young graduate struggled to describe her sentiments.
The recipient of the Tigi Catwalk Design Award was once again announced by Trend Coordinator Mikko Vainio of SKT Group. The EUR 500 award was given to Vivi Raila on account of her collection. For Tigi, the show has become a springtime tradition – this was the fourth year they gave out an award.
"The collection that won the award was interesting, commercial and trendy and well-suited for Tigi’s advertising campaigns," Vainio explained.
Further information:
Tuomas Laitinen, Lecturer
Fashion and Clothing Design
tuomas.p.laitinen [at] taik [dot] fi +358 (0)9 470 30357