Project title: Finland
Selected for scholarships 2009-2010, Course of Fashion Marketing, School of Fashion, IED Milan

In my country, we have this aphorism: ‘Only the ugly have to dress up’. Such is the power of this saying that it?s rare to see Finnish women sporting manicures or dressed in dramatic or revealing shapes.

But there’s more to the story than modesty and concealing clothes.
Finnish people have honed a sense of practicality and comfort like no other country. In addition to this, although we might not know that tennis socks and sandals don’t go well together, the knowledge of design items among the public is quite high. This is partly because the Finns really appreciate nature and the quality of handicraft.

After sports apparel merged with couture in the 90s to produce shell jackets and tracksuits to stay, the Finns have been reluctant to discard them off their wardrobe. Between us Finns, we call ourselves the Shell Suit Nation. In both contemporary and formal fashion, the Finns appreciate clothes that are wearable both day and evening. Thus sportswear is widely worn, as it provides multi-functionality and comfort. But although recently sportswear has seen more sophisticated designs, the offering hasn’t reached yet to the Finnish public. I decided it was the job of a young aspiring fashion marketer like me to design something that speaks in the language of My Country, add a little pizzazz, and create a wearable design for the public of Finland that needs new, more fashionable gear!

And so I knew I would have to befriend the Shell Suit by introducing it to detail and draping. As nature and recycling is very important to my country, I cut two old pieces of clothing apart; a dress from the 80s, (made out of black crepe polyester, which reminded me of the Finnish lakes) and an icy blue shell jacket.

I designed a new jacket with a scarf-like draped black fabric pinned from waist all the way up to the hood. In the double-layer sleeves, the upper sleeve can be rolled up to the elbow, where it is held at spot with a snap fastener. As it is made for the Finns by a Finn, it can be worn on every occasion and as sleek, original outerwear for the cold Finnish weather. To add the glam, I have sewn a ‘S’ on top of the hood in an old English font, and it stands out for ‘Sisu’- the special courage power that the Finns use to get by whatever - and make it to IED.