Federico Cabrera left Argentina, ended up in Asia and finally landed in Finland. While in Helsinki, Cabrera has established clothing stores, a fashion brand, an online gallery and an art/fashion magazine. Federico who?
Teksti Sirje Niitepõld
Kuvat Federico Cabrera & Jasmin Mishima
Paola Suhonen has achieved more than probably any other Finnish fashion designer. However, that isn’t enough for her and so she has decided to acquire a new skill at one of the world’s best film schools.
Text Petra Vuolanen
Paola’s photo Kim Öhrling
Illustration Jee Hei
Shoe designer Terhi Pölkki wanted to make things a bit differently. The emphasis of her shoe collection lies in ecological materials, practicality and fit.
Text Heini Lehtinen
Photos Timo Anttonen
The story of the urban clothing label Makia Clothing is reflected in their clothes. Success requires a lot of hard work, a healthy business philosophy and a relaxed work environment. It’s also cool to look good.
Text Ville Matilainen
Photos Niklas Sandström
Recently a group of Guggenheim Museum staff from New York visited Helsinki. They were wondering why the internationally renowned design city doesn’t have up-to-date and appropriate spaces for displaying design. Exactly. Maybe it’s a “shoemaker’s children have no shoes” phenomenon.
Text Aila Svenskberg
Photo Juuso Noronkoski
The Shanghai Cowboy brings life to Kaartinkaupunki. The food draws its inspiration from Mexico, but doesn’t even try to be traditional – or what do you think about Mexican-style reindeer meat?
Text Petra Vuolanen
Photos Alfonso Almendros
Helsinki will be the World Design Capital for 2012. In order to make Finland visible before the World Design Capital year, the city and Finnish design are already being displayed abroad.
Text Ida Kukkapuro
Photos Bernhard Ludewig, Perttu Saksa
Workspaces are joining forces in Helsinki. The Mushrooming network is expected to bear all kinds fruits of cooperation – or should we say mushrooms.
Text Ida Kukkapuro
Photos Veikko Kähkönen
2OR+BYYAT quietly launched a new flagship store in August 2010. One of Finland’s most interesting fashion designers doesn’t want to make a fuss about himself.
Text Sara Karlsson
Photos Hertta Kiiski
The European Commission’s Design Secretariat, located in Finland, is doing its part to find new ways of thinking to back up design.
Text Sirje Niitepõld
Photos Anna Kiuru
Urban coworking – offering temporary office space for those who need them – can be used not only for business purposes, but also to educate and combat marginalization.
Text Simo Vassinen
Photos Vesa Mäkinen
Consisting of designers and fine carpenters, the Woodism group produces wooden products made from trees felled in parks and private yards that would’ve otherwise ended up chopped or dumped.
Text Heini Lehtinen
The post-Madonna era of Jätkäsaari could well be an urban utopia that has been dreamt of since way back when. As the Low2No project takes flight, old ladies, families with children and young night crawlers grow their food together and relax at the neighborhood sauna.
Text Simo Vassinen
Images Sitra/Low2No/ARUP
A yellow building at the corner of Senate Square is uncovering after a renovation. In a year, it will be the epicenter of Helsinki’s World Design Capital year.
Text Heini Lehtinen
Photos Juuso Noronkoski
Finnish designers could lead the way to more design-oriented Christmas. What would new Finnish Christmas approach look like?
Text Anni Puolakka & Jenna Sutela
Illustration Santtu Mustonen
Design agency TSTO combines illustrative artistic expession with the practical mindset of graphic design.
Text Maiju Malk
Photos Kaarle Hurtig
For a long time, Finns have been said to share with the Japanese an affection with simple shapes and basic colors. Scandinavian design has been popular in Japan for over a decade, and its popularity doesn’t seem to be fading. The Hirameki project, set for launch in Tokyo in October, aims to keep it that way.
Text Heini Lehtinen
Photos Anders Westerholm
In London’s temporary restaurant Hel Yes! you can enjoy traditional Finnish food from a recycled plate beneath trembling aspens from 16 September–3 October 2010.
Text Ville Aalto
Illustration Klaus Haapaniemi
Photos Adam Laycock
The terms ‘design’ or ‘the world of design’ bring us anguish, but it’s hard to see a way out besides creating your own sphere within the terms. What is it about design that makes us sick?
Text Anni Puolakka & Jenna Sutela
Illustration Rami Niemi
Helsinki’s minimal sounds are unique, but this uniqueness sometimes leaves you yearning for more variety, volume and spontaneity. Here we take the opportunity to think about how to design a more interesting Helsinki from the sonic point of view.
Text Anni Puolakka & Jenna Sutela
Illustration Nene Tsuboi
Combining Finnish design and Chinese traditions, Elinno is slowly but surely making their way into the dining rooms of the world.
Text Heini Lehtinen
Photos Juuso Noronkoski
What makes cities like New York or Berlin irresistible? It’s often their gastronomic offerings we come to think of – experiences created by food from all over the world. We would like Helsinki to become a melting pot of all kinds of interesting cuisines as well.
Text Anni Puolakka & Jenna Sutela
Photos Hertta Kiiski
The space-inspired Copenhagen Fashion Summit-winning collection of will act as a start for Saara Lepokorpi’s own commercial signature collection.
Text Heini Lehtinen
Photos Liisa Valonen
The GILLES ET DADA collection, designed by Jasmin Mishima and Federico Cabrera, is a state of mind, a platform for ideas, an art project and a statement.
Photos Federico Cabrera
“I Know Why No is going for aesthetic, beautiful decadence. I love making and designing knitwear, because the elasticity of knit garments makes them just experimental enough,” says fashion designer Aino Vainio.
Text Heini Lehtinen
Photos Kaarle Hurtig
Clear 
20X0 – A Journey into the Future
8. October 2011
Heureka – The Finnish Science Centre
Seven Connections – Finnish Architecture Abroad
11. January 2012
Museum of Finnish Architecture
Yellow City – Illustrated Stories from Helsinki
16. January 2012
All around the city
20. January 2012
Kiasma – Museum of Contemporary Art
DesignWorld – Designing the New World
27. January 2012
Design Museum
Bi-monthly magazine about Helsinki. In Finnish and in English.
