Clothing, Fashion & Accessories
photo © Visit Finland / Elina Sirparanta
A country where the difference between the coldest and hottest day in a year can be as much as 70ºC is bound to offer the widest possible range of clothing you can imagine. Finns have to be sensible in how they dress, but nevertheless they display a keen sense of fashion and are often trend setters.
Visitors to Finland would be wise to check out the winter wear available, especially for children. The winters here can be severe, yet no matter how cold it is you’ll see kids romping happily no matter where you go thanks to the excellent clothing available. The same applies to footwear, and indeed to adult clothing, and Finland is also an excellent source of sports and outdoor clothing for skiing, snowboarding, fishing and hunting.
In most towns in Finland you’ll find outlets for Finnish stores Aleksi 13, Halonen, Marimekko, NP (women’s fashion) and Seppälä, as well as the popular Nordic chains of Dressmann, Ecco, H&M, Jack & Jones and KappAhl. Of course, all the major international brands and designer labels are also available, either from their own outlets, or from sections in department stores or shopping malls.
Just as Finns have brought their unique edge to design in furniture and homeware, glassware and ceramics, so too have a new breed of young Finnish fashion designers began to make their mark both at home and on the international stage. Many of these exciting new talents are scooped up by Marimekko, and the work of other fresh talents can be found in IVANA Helsinki, and in Nanso where Paola Suhonen has brought a new vibrancy to their designs.
If you want to discover the very latest labels to have arrived on the scene then a visit to Liike in Helsinki is essential as is a trip to the Design Forum Shop. Other designer boutiques worth checking out in the capital are: 2 OR+ by Yat, Annikki Karvinen, Friitala Shop, gTIE, Ilona Pelli, Minna Parikka Concept Boutique, and OVVN. You’ll find many of these, and plenty of others, in Design District Helsinki which is situated across 25 streets and is a treat for shoppers who like to stroll from store to store.
Finland has a fine reputation for the quality of the accessories available here, and in particular for their adherence to green principles with many brands producing their shoes and bags in an ecologically friendly manner. Finns have long been skilled in working with leather, and stores to look out for include Boutique Freda, Harri Syrjänen, Pertti Palmroth and Tarsala Creation.
