Kulku-Katin Poika. Photo Matti Tanskanen.

Comic book shops in Helsinki are like the items they sell – unique. The best ones have a story behind them, supported by the original setting.

Like in the big world

The Good Fellows is an example of a somewhat perfect absorption of the comic book culture. The 26-year-old store’s selection mainly consists of major American publishers’ superheroes, but you can also find smaller companies’ artistically freer works on the shelves – heroes, horror, eroticism and violence.

Good Fellows. Photo Matti Tanskanen.

Passersby step inside after admiring the full-length shop window filled with comic characters. The well-lit store has been divided into two parts – one side for magazines and the other for related products.

“The tie-in sales are marginal compared to the comic sales, but visually the material is part of the deal,” says owner JARI LAITINEN.

In America, comics are an integral part of popular culture. The Good Fellows displays this symbiosis not only through the magazines, books, special editions and rare collector’s editions, but also in the form of miniature figurines, posters, key chains, flasks and costumes.

“Finnish comic fairs are only tables with magazines piled on them. People should get sponsors and publicity. In the States they do it right. When an album is published, there will also be figurines. You have to take the commercial aspect into consideration,” Laitinen says.

The selection includes:
Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Drawn and Quarterly, Fantagraphics Books

The Good Fellows
Fredrikinkatu 38, 00100 Helsinki
Open Mon-Fri 10 am–6 pm, la 10 am–3 pm
www.goodfellows.fi

Manga cave for true fans

The oblong comic book store is filled with packed shelves that even cover the windows. It’s difficult to walk among the magazine bins and stacks of cardboard boxes. Specializing in Japanese comics, also known as manga, Fennica Comics has distributed Japanese magazines since they have been available in Finland.

Fennica Comics. Photo Matti Tanskanen.

“At the end of the 1980s, the selection included more Japanese manga because it hadn’t been translated into English yet,” says owner ARI KOSKINEN.

The store opened its doors in 1982 and is justifiably the manga center of Helsinki. The store’s gems are reprints from the beginning of the manga culture in the 1950s. The most passionate fans get to enjoy rare self-published doujinshi.

The variety of topics is extensive. An album may focus on learning how to play golf or on school girls’ relationship issues. There are also samurai adventures, horror and science fiction.

According to Koskinen, manga has found its place in Finland. The first wave reached the country at the end of the 1990s when the readers were mainly men. The real boom took over in 2003-2004 when manga was seen as young girls’ hobby. Now you can run into manga in grocery stores as well.

Koskinen says that almost all manga can now be downloaded online.

“We trust that people still want to have real comic books in their hands and on their bookshelves. Our extensive selection is our strength,” he says.

Selection includes:
VIZ Media, Yen Press, Del Rey Manga, Kodansha Comics

Fennica Comics
Albertinkatu 35, 00180 Helsinki
Open Mon-Fri 11 am–6 pm, Sat 10 am–2.30 pm.
www.fennicakeskus.fi

It runs in the blood

“My generation got to enjoy the golden age of European comic masters. However, later I grew up and learned to like more challenging story-telling,” says JUHA AARNISALO, the owner of the Kulku-Katin Poika comic book store.

Located in Kallio since 1986, the store has a cross-section of Finnish comic tastes. The store’s selection includes Asterix, Tintin, The Phantom, Tex Willer, Commando and of course Donald Duck with his own dedicated room.

Aarnisalo is a second-generation comic book man. His father RAIMO AARNISALO used to have a store, Kulkukatti, on Viipurinkatu where he also edited the first ever Finnish comic book price list in 1972.

The selection at Kulku-Katin Poika includes both new and recycled magazines. The language of the magazines is purely Finnish. The selection reflects the customers’ taste. “Finns are very particular about what they read. I can fill a room with western comics, but a true Tex Willer fan will still pick up the good old Tex.”

The store’s selection is like something you could find from the attic of your grandparents’ summer cottage. It is, however, not a second-hand bookstore – far from it. The painstakingly neat rows of magazines organized by the publication date as well as the posters and original drawings hanging on the walls make the store look like a collector’s home.

Selection includes:
Arktinen Banaani, Apollo, Egmont, Jalava, Like, WSOY

Kulku-Katin Poika
Läntinen Brahenkatu 12, 00510 Helsinki
Open Mon-Fri 11 am–5 pm, Sat 9 am–2 pm
www.sci.fi/~karielk/kulkukat.htm

Don’t forget these:

Sarjakuvakeskus
Café and gallery. Topical theme nights and workshops.
Hämeentie 150, 00560 Helsinki
www.sarjakuvakeskus.fi

Kukunor
Online store with a pick-up point in the city center.
Mechelininkatu 12–14, 00100 Helsinki
www.kukunor.com

Puolenkuun pelit
Manga, rare films and video games.
Vuorikatu 14 A, 00100 Helsinki
www.puolenkuunpelit.com

Fantasiapelit
Comic books as well as role playing and board games.
Vilhonkatu 4 B, 00100 Helsinki
www.fantasiapelit.com

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One hundred years of Finnish comics

The Jump in! – 100 Years of Finnish Comic Strips exhibition takes its visitors to the world of Finnish comic books. The one hundred-year history has been squeezed into an exhibition covering the top floor of the museum. The form of art is displayed in chronological order from the pioneers’ ideas to the current generation’s self-publishing. If inspiration strikes, the visitors can create their own comic strips in a separate workshop.

Jump in! – 100 Years of Finnish Comic Strips
14 October 2011–8 January 2012
Design Museum
Korkeavuorenkatu 23, 00130 Helsinki
Open Tue 11 am–8 pm, Wed-Sun 11 am–6 pm

†

Text Ville Matilainen  Photos Matti Tanskanen

Totti Nyberg / Makia. Photo Niklas Sundström.

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.

“It’s a hell of a superficial industry, but it is all about the surface. People wear clothes on the surface,” says TOTTI NYBERG, Makia Clothing’s CEO, while enjoying his summer vacation.

He thinks about what he just said, takes a sip of his beer and continues:

“But maybe not so much Makia’s genre. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with that. Fashion and clothing are relatively old concepts. I don’t think they will disappear.”

For the past few years Makia Clothing, founded in 2001, has been living a real Cinderella story. A group of friends, including some professional snowboarders, wanted to create stylish streetwear that they would wear and buy.

The brave clothes that look like their makers and the open-minded dive abroad have borne fruit. Now Makia products are sold in over 600 stores in almost 30 countries. In January, the company received Finatex’s (Federation of Finnish Textiles and Clothing Industries) Finnish Fashion Act of the Year Award.

A relaxed atmosphere and good attitude

Nyberg began working for Makia in 2007. The story of how the CEO became part of his friends’ business says a lot about the company’s attitude.

“My then employer got irritated because I was working so much for Makia at the same time. Finally they came up with an excuse to fire me,” Nyberg says.

“I picked up my things, marched across the street to Makia’s old office and started working there permanently.”

According to Nyberg, the secret behind Makia’s success is work. He also says it’s his most important hobby.

“There’s nothing wrong with working as long as it’s relaxed and you feel well. Makia is all about health and fun working practices. Of course we have goals as a company, but we aim for steady growth, little by little.”

Healthy on the inside, beautiful on the outside

Makia has also received criticism for serving such a small clientele. Nyberg, however, doesn’t see Makia just as a snowboarders’ label.

Totti Nyberg. Kuva Niklas Sandström.

“The best thing about the clothing culture is that people can find their own styles. I think it’s awesome that everyone has their own style.”

This year Makia expanded its collection and at the customers’ request launched a separate collection for women.

“Ladies wanted Makia’s clothes as well, as they used to steal their boyfriends’ clothes. At one point, women bought more winter jackets than men.”

When looking at the Makia collection, it could be said that there is something unique about it, at least from the Finnish point of view.

“Makia has always had a good thread that we have stuck to since day one. Well, Jesse has,” Nyberg says and turns the limelight to main designer JESSE HYVÄRI.

“Everything we do reflects our environment – Punavuori, the marina, people and hobbies. We want to design unpretentious and timeless clothes for everybody. We’ve decided not to sponsor anyone in the name of equality. The clothes have to be available to everyone.”

Helsinki: home and WDC

Makia has its roots in Helsinki and Finland is still the strongest market after the United States, but a growth company has to look for growth where it’s possible.

“We don’t have sales in Japan yet. It’s actually quite weird because Makia was originally designed for the big markets and especially Japan. In Russia, we have come across Makia copies. It’s actually kind of cool,” Nyberg says.

Nyberg, who spent almost 250 days abroad last year, is excited about next year.

“I’m so excited about Finland at the moment. It’s great to do our share and make Finland known abroad. Just the fact that Helsinki was elected as the World Design Capital is so great that we will definitely be involved in one way or another.” †

www.makiaclothing.com

Text Ville Matilainen
Photo Niklas Sandström

Pelago Bicycles. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

A bicycle is a must during the summer in Helsinki. Fierce competition in the field forces the companies to specialize.

Greenbike – Recycling bicycles

The 40-square-meter shop on the corner of Albertinkatu and Bulevardi is full of bikes for rent.

Greenbike. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

”Sorry, but we only fix bikes that have been bought from here. We are a specialized shop, so we don’t have time to fix others”, says KIMMO SUONTAKANEN, the owner of Greenbike, to a customer.

Suontakanen also says that during the summer the company focuses on renting bicycles. In addition to the regular customers, the shop also serves travelers. At the beginning of summer, Greenbike will open another shop in Hernesaari to serve cruise passengers.

Greenbike doesn’t only rent bikes, it also sells serviced second-hand bicycles. Due to the great demand and short season, the shop doesn’t have much stock. Often the recycled bicycles come and go daily. Those who don’t get a second-hand bike order a new one. The selection includes durable and convenient city bicycles.

“All Finnish companies that have been in the field for a longer time are specialized in one way or another. My specialty is second-hand and city bikes,” Suontakanen says.

The company has seen a lot since it was established in 1994.

“In 1994, people weren’t so into cycling. A few years later, the change became visible outside restaurant terraces and near movie theaters.”

The increasing interest in cycling is a good thing from an entrepreneur’s point of view, but Suontakanen says that there is still room for improvement in Helsinki – and bike riders aren’t totally innocent.

“People ride too much on sidewalks. Car drivers will only learn to treat cyclists equally if they dare to drive on the roads.”

Greenbike, Bulevardi 32, 00120 Helsinki. Open (during the summer) every day 10–18. Selection includes: Brompton, Crescent, Monark, Bianchi, Helkama. www.greenbike.fi

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Kumiluoti – fixies for speed addicts

“You often hear stories that they are very dangerous. The aspect of danger is more to do with the way you ride, not the bike.”

Kumiluoti. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

ANNE JAAKKOLA is working her second summer at Kumiluoti in Kallio. Kumiluoti has been serving downtown bike fanatics for four years and specializes in fixed-gear bicycles.

If you’re not familiar with them, the thought of a fixed-gear bicycle, also known as a fixie, may at first seem a little… well, scary. Unlike a normal bicycle, the pedals of a fixed-gear bicycle are always in motion when the rear wheel is moving. There are no gears and the wildest riders have even removed the brakes. Then the efficiency of a fixed-gear is at its maximum capacity as the bikes without any extra parts are light. The maintenance of a fixed-gear bicycle is easy and quick because it doesn’t have many moving parts.

Even though the demand has increased during the past few years, the import of new bicycles is still slow. The most popular models are sold out early in the spring. In addition to the maintenance service, Kumiluoti offers its customers an opportunity to replace their old bikes with fixed geared bikes. You can get information and expertise by asking as well as spare parts at a reasonable cost.

“Many enthusiasts want to build their own bikes because they want to learn more and because it’s their passion.”

The row of fixed-gear bicycles in the 20 square meter shop is a sight for sore eyes. The bright neon-colored parts create a kind of candy store atmosphere. The price list scribbled on a massive blackboard covering the entire back wall emphasizes that image.

Kumiluoti, Fleminginkatu 12 B, 00530 Helsinki. Open Mon-Fri 10–18 Selection includes: BLB, Velocity, Mavic, Surly, Sturmey Archer, Panaracer, Sunrace. www.kumiluoti.fi

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Pelago Bicycles – visual cycling in Vallila

What to do when you cannot find a bike that feels like your own? MIKKO and TIMO HYPPÖNEN solved the problem by establishing their own bicycle brand.

Pelago Bicycles. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

The two brothers, both graphic designers, have been running Pelago Bicycles for two years and the shop is all about visual aspects and details. The frames come from Europe, but they are painted and assembled in Vallila, Helsinki. In addition to the appearance, Pelago focuses on long-life, high-quality parts.

Pelago also puts emphasis on the appearance of the shop. Spare parts and bicycles are displayed as if they were works of art, inviting you to touch them. Additional products include literature and accessories. Cycling is a lifestyle, not just a hobby.

The shop offers five different bicycle models with carefully selected color and accessory combinations. The designers say that their bikes are stripped-down, simple city bikes and classic European models.
Pelago has also expanded abroad. In 2010, the bicycles were launched in Stockholm in cooperation with Artek. This year Pelago’s bikes were introduced in the Stockholm-based Flux Shop’s selection.

“We are looking for more dealers, also abroad. However, at the moment, business is mainly done online,” Mikko Hyppönen says.

These partnerships speak for Pelago’s philosophy. Modern cyclists value a unique and beautiful bike just as much as the comfort of riding.

Pelago Bicycles, Eurantie 12, 00550 Helsinki. Open Mon-Fri 12-18, Sat 11-15. Selection includes: Pelago Bicycles. www.pelagobicycles.com

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Discover Helsinki on a rental

Rent A Bike Helsinki. Have a bike delivered to your door. www.rentabikehelsinki.com

Vuokratori. Aleksis Kiven katu 17, 00510 Helsinki. www.vuokratori.fi

Ecobike. Savilankatu 1 B, 00250 Helsinki. www.ecobike.fi

Best Brakes. Lauttasaarentie 15, 00200 Helsinki. www.bestbrakes.net

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Check these out too:

Velosport

Over 30 years of bicycle sales in Käpylä. Bicycles and spare parts for racing and everyday use. Cannondale, Cervélo, Campagnolo, Shimano, Bianchi, Colnago.

Mäkelänkatu 95, 00610 Helsinki

www.velosport.fi

Best Brakes

Charge, Trek & Gary Fischer, Author, Fort, Mirraco BMX.

Lauttasaarentie 15, 00200 Helsinki

www.bestbrakes.net

Fillarikellari

Bianchi, Crencent, Helkama, Helkama/Jopo, GT Bicycles.

Annankatu 19, 00120 Helsinki

www.fillarikellari.fi

Uusix

Fixes and sells abandoned bikes in cooperation with the city of Helsinki.

Kyläsaarenkatu 8 J, 00580 Helsinki

www.uusix.fi

†

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Text Ville Matilainen  Photos Juuso Noronkoski

Urban a, Helsinki. Photo Niklas Sandström.

Finns who speak Swedish as their native language (Finnswedes) are famous for their casual stylishness. Urban A and Nómad bring their Finnswede owners’ style to Helsinki shoppers. Inspite of this, the owners don’t want to emphasize their Finnswedishness.

When ANDREA SUCKSDORFF and ULLICA HANSSON opened up Urban A in 2004, it was Helsinki’s first lifestyle store. In the first couple of years, they noticed that cramming clothes, furniture and small items into the same space didn’t work. The selection was refined, and nowadays Urban A focuses on selling women’s clothes and accessories at their new premises on Erottaja, next to Diana park.

Finnswedishness is an important part of the store’s identity. Both the owners and all of the employees speak Swedish as their mother tongue. Any texts and signs are written in two languages, and Swedish always comes first.

Andrea Sucksdorff / Urban a. Kuva Niklas Sandström.

Sucksdorff points out that the store serves all customers no matter their native language. ”Of course we serve Finnish-speakers in Finnish, but because Swedish is spoken so little, we want to do our share to maintain a service culture in both languages,” she states.

Over the past six years, Sucksdorff and Hansson have substantially grown their business, even experimenting with a chain of stores by setting up shop in Espoo’s Iso Omena mall and in downtown Vaasa.

Playing to their own tastes

Running three shops was too much for two women. The Vaasa store demanded constant travel, and renting the premises in Espoo was costly and tied the tenants to prescribed opening hours.

”Now that we’re under one roof again, we can almost keep the shop under control,” Sucksdorff laughs. ”It’s important for me that I can be present.”

Sucksdorff thinks that Finnswedish customers are a bit more open and talkative than Finnish ones. On the other hand, the city is small, and many customers are either friends or friends of friends. Over the years, the store’s selection has shifted to match the owners’ wardrobes pretty well.

”At first, we tried to think about what would sell, even though it wasn’t exactly our own style. Usually clothes selected by that criteria were left hanging on the racks. Nowadays, we think about the whole lifestyle and make orders as if we were shopping for ourselves. The concept seems to work.”

Pairing quality with affordability

Nómad, located on Ludviginkatu, opened in March 2010. Interested in fashion and interior design, sisters HELENA and ANTONIA STACKELBERG started the store to bring something new into Helsinki.

Helena and Antonia Stackelberg/Nómad. Photo Niklas Sandström.

”I don’t see us as a particularly Finnswedish store. If there is a stereotypical Finnswedish style, our selection probably differs from it,” Helena Stackelberg says and smiles.

The sisters have tried to find inspirational brands not yet sold in Finland. Quality and good materials are important; instead of a familiar label, clothes must have character. Casual stylishness is reflected in both the store’s selection and its mood. This spring’s new labels are Swedish Lagom, French Hotel Particulier and American Loft.

To Helena Stackelberg, the biggest challenge with their selection is finding quality clothes with reasonable prices. ”When you have your own store, you always have to think about what people want. Despite this, you have to trust your own judgment instead of trying to match what seems to be selling elsewhere,” she notes.

”From a customer’s standpoint, the ideal piece is unique and of high quality, but costs nothing. It’s an impossible equation, but it’s something we try to take into account while ordering things,” Stackelberg says.

Nómad’s short-term plans include finding new premises with a more central location and more space.

Stackelberg finds value in people daring and bothering to set up new stores. Her first year as an entrepreneur has only strengthened her will to support other local entrepreneurs – Finnish and Finnswedish alike.

”The mood and selection of small boutiques is quite special in comparison to larger chains and department stores, but boutiques can’t operate without customers. The spirit of pulling together could be even stronger. Livening up individual regions benefits every small operator.” †

Urban A, Erottajankatu 1–3, 00130 Helsinki. www.urban-a.fi

Nómad, Ludviginkatu 3–5, 00130 Helsinki. www.nomad-shop.fi

Text Sara Karlsson  Photos Niklas Sandström

YAT / 2OR+BYYAT. Photo Hertta Kiiski.

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.

“It’s a lot easier to create something abstract than to combine practicality with an interesting shape. A fantastic sketch doesn’t make you a fashion designer, it just means you can draw,” says 2OR+BYYAT designer YAT.

His own collections are known for their abstract shapes and characteristic cuts mixed with practicality and ease of use.

Born in Hong Kong, YAT arrived to Finland with his 2OR+BYYAT collection in 2002. Before that, he had already worked as a designer in Tokyo for a decade.

His journey in the fashion business started with tailoring studies in England, after which he studied art and fashion. By the mid-90s, he had worked together with several fashion houses such as Marithé & François Girbaud, Yohji Yamamoto, Puma and Clarks.

Besides creating his own label, in the new millennium YAT has consulted Mulberry, created men’s and women’s bag brands for Japanese luxury bag manufacturer Isaburo 1889 and quietly collaborated with Nokia and Nike.

Style trumps trend

YAT’s own brand 2OR+BYYAT was born during his years in Japan. At first, it was only sold in Japan and Asia, and he didn’t find it sensible to rush into the Finnish market even after he moved to Helsinki.

“We originally presented the collection in Milan and Paris. Fashion in Finland had concentrated on foreign brands. People found the idea of importing something from overseas interesting. The way of thinking has changed enormously in the past nine years.”

YAT / 2OR+BYYAT. Photo Hertta Kiiski.

In the last couple of years, 2OR+BYYAT sales have picked up both in Finland and abroad. The collection is currently sold in 25 countries.

It’s important to YAT that the collection isn’t forced upon anyone. When someone likes his style and process, there is an understanding that leads to a good customer relationship.

The words ‘trend’ and ‘fashion’ make the designer cringe. “A designer hunting for trends is always lost. He is always late. A good collection is born out of creativity. You need knowledge of both cuts and, most important of all, materials,” YAT underlines.

His collection design starts with material choice. It isn’t irrelevant how and from what kind of thread a fabric is woven – for example, gloss and how the fabric folds will change when metal threads are added to the mix. The characteristics of the material have to be taken into account before thinking about shape and other details.

“The same cut will behave completely differently in two different materials. The challenge and art of fashion design is learning to create not only cool shapes, but also something three-dimensional. Something that will fit into people’s lives.”

This spring’s 2OR+BYYAT collection has a lot of wet-looking shiny surfaces and beautiful flower-printed silk and cotton fabrics. YAT says that he wanted to create something casual and straightforward, yet tailored. The waist has been gently highlighted.

Reshaping an idea

The designer talks a lot about humility and honesty. He bluntly points out that being a fashion designer is first and foremost hard work. If you don’t love it, you can’t do it. On the other hand, it’s also rewarding work and a way of life.

“Every day is a workday, and at the same time a holiday. I like people and communication, and I might get a new idea by watching a pile of sticks or the way someone walks. Many good ideas come out of curiosity, the will to ask questions. Creative work is an ongoing process, because inspiration is all around you.”

YAT / 2OR+BYYAT. Photo Hertta Kiiski.

2OR+BYYAT is a small company. Almost everything is done internally. YAT’s wife and partner MINNA CHEUNG is responsible for running the stores. In addition to two stores on Eerikinkatu, the couple has another one in Lahti. Besides designing and overseeing production, YAT also partakes in the selling process and photographs his own collections himself, which explains the amount of photo gear in his office.

“Pretty much doing anything artistic is about transforming an idea into another form. For example, you can interpret a signal as an image, sculpture or text. I try to utilize my creativity in everything. At the same time, we’re saving money to use for something else.”

Price is becoming more and more important in the fashion business. Consumers are thinking about what a reasonable price for a piece of clothing is, and where the money goes. You have to get something in return. People are averse to buying clothes produced in sketchy conditions. The designer sees a bright future ahead for companies acting in an ethical and transparent manner.

2OR+BYYAT clothes are manufactured mostly in Finland and the Baltic region. The fabric is ordered from Europe: Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and England.

Recipe for success

Despite his strong vision, YAT is almost perplexingly modest in his speech. He wants to keep his feet firmly on the ground, and says that when the 2OR+BYYAT flagship store was opened on Eerikinkatu, there was no launch party. Someone would’ve had to pay for that.

“I don’t want to make a fuss about myself. I try to be wiser and more far-sighted. It’s sad to see how people set up shop with a huge bang and boast about how great the fashion business is, only to close down after two years,” he says. He wishes steady growth for his label. The time for partying will come when something is achieved.

When questioned about Helsinkian style, the designer says that he would love to see people become bolder and more curious about clothing. With his own collection, he tries to offer good design for a reasonable price – and clothes that outlast seasons.

“Creativity and adding your own touch is much more important than managing to create something others call fashion at any single point of time,” YAT ponders his philosophy as a designer. He shows off a simple black jacket from next fall’s collection.

The subtle details of the design manifest one by one: the lovely texture of the woolen fabric, the shape achieved by the cuts. Part of the back piece continues into the sleeve, and the fabric glides seamlessly from the back all the way to the wrist. The shape of the jacket is accentuated when it’s narrowed down at the waist.

YAT has noticed that Finnish origins are becoming more important within Helsinki’s fashion crowd.

“People have become wiser. That’s a good sign,” he laughs and continues with a more serious tone: “Being Finnish isn’t the end-all-be-all, though. The world is full of clothes. It’s not enough that someone is patriotic. For a collection to sell, people have to like it.”

The designer feels confident that when you put your heart into your work, people will spot the difference. He also points out that a strong brand can’t be manufactured overnight. You have to have faith in yourself and move on even if an individual collection isn’t received well.

The name 2OR+ refers to coexistence. For something to be born, you need at least two elements. Without inspiration, there is no creativity. And without creativity, there would be no 2OR+BYYAT collection. †

2OR+BYYAT Flagship Store, Eerikinkatu 9, 00100 Helsinki. www.2orplus.com

Text Sara Karlsson  Photos Hertta Kiiski

Papershop. Photo Kaarle Hurtig.

A small paper shop in Kruununhaka is offering Christmas shoppers papery dreams from all over the world.

The year: 2008. The place: a store called Kate’s Paperie in New York. Decorated with old furniture, the sympathetic store is filled with quality paper products. Two sisters from Helsinki are so mesmerized by the store that they decide to put up one just like it back in their own neighborhood.

Just over a year later, Papershop opens up in Helsinki’s Kruununhaka.

“We had been thinking about starting a company and shop for a long time. In Kate’s Paperie, we sighed in unison and felt like ‘this is the thing’. We both love paper shops and quality paper products. They haven’t really been available in Finland before,” say the sisters, ANNA and TEA.

Papershop. Photo Kaarle Hurtig.

Papershop sells paper treasures both online and in their showroom in Kruununhaka. For their collection, the sisters choose only beautiful products with known origin and designer. In addition to more traditional stationery products, Papershop has everything from origami paper sets to stamps or even baby mobiles.

“We find our products mostly by reading foreign blogs and spending a lot of time online,” the 27- and 21-year-old sisters say. “We sell pretty much anything made from paper, as long as it somehow clicks – preferably with both of us. Our selection consists mostly of cards, gift wrap, notebooks and stationery. The selection is complemented with seasonal products.”

Papershop is also a small paradise for Christmas shoppers. The sisters have gathered into the store a selection of unique Christmas cards from independent producers in Norway, Korea and the United States. Also available are among others calendars and gift wrap made with wind power in New York.

The owners’ favorites are Norwegian Darling Clementine’s funny illustrated cards.

“Our mentality is that a beautiful card will delight both the sender and recipient alike,” Anna sums up.

Only the best

Papershop/Anna. Photo Kaarle Hurtig.

Besides offering a pleasant shopping experience, the sisters want to revive Helsinki’s endangered brick and mortar store culture. They found suitable premises for Papershop’s showroom in the moody Kruununhaka borough. Despite the practical and financial restrictions, the space has been decorated with strong vision.

“Our showroom is an office, work space, storage and shop,” the duo lists. “An old architect’s table found in the storage room is the store space’s showstopper. The products are the true stars, though.”

Despite the somewhat off-downtown location, Papershop’s showroom hasn’t been too hard to find. The store is frequented by regular customers living in the surrounding area. Customers fallen in love with the online store make pilgrimages even from afar, just so they can fidget with delicious products spotted online.

Papershop wants first and foremost to offer an alternative for the supermarkets’ card shelves and paper aisles that are yawn-inducingly similar.

“For us, quality always comes first, and we favor small producers that we can get to know for ourselves. Their production methods are of the highest quality. You’ll never see dime-a-dozen products chosen just for their low price at Papershop.”

The sisters used to work as freelance designers. Their dream store was set up quite fast, but their operations are developing with time.

“We already had a company, and we emptied its account in order to get stock. Because we haven’t gotten external funding or taken loans, we’re taking baby steps. Our dream is to expand our operations and start designing our own products at some point.” †

www.papershop.fi

Text Laura Friman Photos Kaarle Hurtig

Anna Katriina Tilli. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

Skanno kicked off the new decade by launching a concept store, designed by Anna Katriina Tilli, in downtown Helsinki. At the same time, the company is heading into the international furniture market with their own collection.

”A store has to give the customers experiences and different spaces. It’s not just a place to get the product you want from,” says JOEL ROOS, head of development for interior design company Skanno.

Roos is thrilled about Skanno’s return to downtown Helsinki after their trip to Salmisaari. The 10,000 square foot flagship store, opened in May, bathes in light and whiteness.

The store runs through two buildings. One of them is from the late 19th century, the other from the 1960s. “It’s a beautiful space, but very challenging for a designer because of its low ceiling and the lack of windows,” says interior architect ANNA KATRIINA TILLI, who designed the store.

“The challenge of the space was a driving force in the design process. We used every trick in the book to make the space breathe: lots of white, different shades of white in gloss and matte, different lights of different tones, roof lights and mirrors.”

The tricks worked, and the store has already received international attention. For example, Wallpaper magazine listed the store as a good reason to visit Helsinki.

Anna Katriina Tilli. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

Return of the collection

The higher-than-it-actually-is store still includes Skanno’s familiar international interior and design brands, e.g. Ligne Roset, Minotti, Missoni, Moroso and Moooi. Furthermore, the selection includes ever more products from the company’s own Skanno Collection.

In the early years after being founded in 1946, Skanno focused heavily on their own furniture collection, many products from which were awarded internationally. In the golden days of chrome and smoked glass in the 1980s, Skanno’s collection became one of the collections in the uprise of Italian and French design. Skanno became a design department store.

The Skanno Collection was re-launched in the fall of 2009. Divided into four categories, the collection consists of basic products, re-established classics of the 1950s to 1970s, custom-made furniture, and experimental showstopper products used to test new materials and shapes.

“Launching and developing our own collection will require a lot of persistent effort before its as strong as we want it to be,” says Joel Roos. “However, I believe that you can create also internationally interesting furniture right here in Finland.”

The call of new projects

Among the designers for Skanno Collection are Anna Katriina Tilli, who has designed both Skanno’s flagship store in Helsinki as well as their outlet in Espoo, and Singaporean JARROD LIM.

“Being Finnish isn’t a prerequisite,” Roos points out. “It’s more important that the designer is Skanno-ish.”

Tilli worked as Skanno’s artistic director for a year. At only 33 years old, she is one of the most promising interior and furniture designers of the new generation. In addition to Skanno’s concept store, her best-known works include the Anemone light and table designed together with MARI RELANDER, and the lifestyle store My o My (Erottajankatu 9 B, Helsinki) designed with MIKKO VESANEN. Vesanen also helped her bounce ideas while working on the Skanno flagship store.

In the summer of 2010, Tilli returned to her and interior architect Vesanen’s design agency MAK.

“The upside of having your own agency is that you get to do very different projects,” she points out. “After the store projects, it was time to move on to new challenges.”

New challenges are in order for Skanno as well. A new store, a new collection, and a new strategy. Perhaps we’ll see Skanno mentioned among one of the great international design houses in the future. †

Skanno, Mannerheimintie 6, Helsinki and Nihtisillankuja 6, Espoo. www.skanno.fi, www.annakatriinatilli.com

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Text Heini Lehtinen  Photos Juuso Noronkoski

Kuva Vesa Mäkinen

A recipe for a budding artist includes making music that is honest and personal, touring a lot, posters, stickers and touring some more. “Easy,” says ALEKSI PAHKALA of record store Stupido Shop. They’ve managed to stay relevant amidst the revolution of music distribution by keeping their eyes open and working to find new artists.

The top four tracks of Stupido website jukebox are Peikkojumppaa by Hovinarri, Loinen by Kumikameli, Hulluna Humpasta by Eläkeläiset and Lämpöö ja lempee by Kaikukast. All sound a bit crazy in Finnish and it’s easy to think that the top list is a joke, but all of the artists are signed to Stupido Records, a record label that birthed Stupido Shop in 1995. Since then the label and store have gone their independent ways. One of the founders, JOOSE BERGLUND, is running the label, while the other, JORMA RISTILÄ, is running the store with Aleksi Pahkala.

Stupido Shop is often seen as a near-legendary indie store, but their selection includes records from punk to chart pop, jazz to classic, death metal to gospel, kids’ music to humppa and electronic hiphop. “We’ve got the annapuus and whatnots in addition to LCD Soundsystem and weird Finnish vinyl releases. There’s never been a clear-cut policy,” Pahkala says. “We just want to offer good music and service and broaden the Finns’ musical tastes, and our own as well.”

“We’re all quite privileged, because we get to do what we like. It’s fun to work with music – it makes you scream, cry, relax, party and shake your ass. Finding new music, recommending good records, producing experiences and following the careers of Finnish bands from the early stages to their big breakthrough,” Pahkala lists the perks.

Quality or quantity?

Record sales are declining globally year after year, but according to Pahkala, the death of large record stores hasn’t impacted sales too much. “Small dips affect us as well,” he admits. “However, in Finland record stores have a symbiotic relationship. We refer people to Popparienkeli, Livesaver, Digelius, Stockmann, Jäänsärkijä and other stores if necessary.”

“The digital revolution has brought more work for our staff, because people ‘find’ dozens of new bands every week, and they ask for them as well. I think a more negative influence is that good Finnish acts can’t get onto Yleisradio’s playlists and into the national media. The TV’s been shit for years, too,” he grunts.” “Bring back Levyraati!”

“I feel like there are way too many records released nowadays – people focus on quantity instead of quality and try to push hits through with SMS voting,” Pahkala scoffs. “We’ve always said that good music sells, and in many formats.”

The Mecca of small publishing

Many audiophiles have re-found vinyls because of their sound, which is known to please the ear. But even CDs have good sound compared to the average online file, not to mention the covers and cases, which are disappearing thanks to the online revolution.

Stupido orders in almost everything that’s released in Finland, which is practically well over a hundred titles a week. “Our staff are music fanatics, and all of them follow music in their spare time, all the time. New artists are found every day, but the most important thing remains the ears and inquiries of our customers.”

At the moment, the rising Finnish starts are, according to Pahkala, Villa Nah, Cats on Fire, Joensuu 1685, Manna and Astrid Swan. “Some have gathered some attention abroad, but in Finland they all deserve much more national radio and TV attention than they have gotten.”

“As the latest Finnish gem, I’d like to point out Monsp artist HEIKKI KUULA, whose incredible Finnish version of a Kings of Convenience song is sure to attract attention also outside our nation’s borders.”

One of Stupido’s urban legends claim that the company turned down Darude, who then became a world-wide phenomenon. “This is a classic one,” Pahkala says. “One of our friends was visiting Helsinki with this guy called VILLE [VIRTANEN], who had just picked up his first single from the press and asked if we would like to sell it. So yeah, I listened to it and said, ‘thanks, but no thanks’. Sandstorm only became the bestselling single in the world that year, haha. On the other hand, I’m still less miffed than amused.”

“Nowadays we take in all small releases. And when we did take in the Darude single, I think we ended up selling like two copies of it. Give my best to Ville,” Pahkala laughs.†

Iso Roobertinkatu 23, 00120 Helsinki. www.stupido.fi

Text Petteri Kainulainen Photos Vesa Mäkinen

Elinno. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

Combining Finnish design and Chinese traditions, Elinno is slowly but surely making their way into the dining rooms of the world.

A young woman travelled from Beijing to Helsinki almost ten years ago with a vast knowledge of Chinese art, culture and handicrafts, and burning enthusiasm towards the modern simplicity of Nordic design. As she studied ceramics and glass design at Helsinki School of Art and Design (Aalto University), she met a Finnish fellow student who collected Chinese ceramics and studied their patterns.

LIANG LIANG graduated as a ceramic artist in 2005, two years after ANNI PAUNILA. In 2008 the two started Elinno, a ceramics company combining Chinese handicraft tradition and patterns with the Nordic design form. Their studio is located in the middle of Roihuvuori’s industrial area.

There’s something classic yet very modern in Elinno’s delicate dishes. Butterflies and nightingales are flying between soft Chinese flower patterns and ornaments. Liang and Paunila have given them new hue and placement in plates, cups and serving trays.

“We draw and paint the ornaments by hand in watercolor, scan the pictures and send them to the manufacturer,” says Liang Liang. “The motifs can be inspired by wallpapers or old handicraft patterns. For example, the lotus flowers of the Lotus Lullaby series came from fond childhood memories. As a child, I spent a lot of time by a lake that had lots of lotus flowers in the summertime.”

Elinno’s current bestseller, the Blue Peony series, was inspired by traditional blue-patterned Chinese porcelain, but the floral motif has gotten a whole new scale, and the traditional cobolt blue has been given a darker, more modern hue. “Nature-themed ornaments are historically very typical for porcelain. I wanted to create a continuation of millennia of tradition, but still bring a fresh new personal point of view,” points out Anni Paunila, working in Italy for the spring.

Liang Liang. Photo Juuso Noronkoski.

Fitting in with the best

Elinno’s dishes are designed in Finland and manufactured in China, where the millennia-long handicraft history still lives on. The dishes are made from fine bone china, and the ornaments are attached under the glazing, so they won’t fade or wear away. “Fine bone china has bone ash mixed with the clay, which makes it stronger, whiter and more translucent than ordinary porcelain. Because the material is stronger, we can make the dishes lighter and more delicate,” Liang explains.

Working conditions and the use of non-toxic products are important to Liang and Paunila. “It’s part of being a proud ceramic artist,” Paunila reckons. “We’re not looking for the cheapest alternative. We want the best.”

“We want our products to stay in customers’ homes for a long time, even across generations – not just for a season or two,” Liang states.

Elinno’s ceramics have the same level of quality as the big names in the business: Rosenthal, Wedgwood, Lladró and Villeroy & Boch. While Elinno is tiny compared to these companies, the small newcomer was seen in the same hall with the big players at Frankfurt’s Ambiente fair in February 2010.

“Our stand was made on a small budget, but the organizers gave us an awesome location. It felt really good to get recognized by so many people who really know the business,“ Paunila delights.

Liang reveals that Elinno has already been cleared for the same spot for next year’s fair. “Entrance isn’t only about money, because that specific hall is meant for only the best quality and design.”

Doing their own thing

Elinno was founded during the toughest stretch of the current economic slump. This may have slowed down their start, but Liang doesn’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. “Due to the recession we’ve had time to think things through and make them better for next year,” she points out realistically. “Our strength is that we know both the Chinese tradition and production methods as well as Finnish design. We wish to bring this strength into our business as well.”

It’s impossible to predict the future, but Liang suspects that in a few years the duo will be more mature both in design and marketing. At the moment Elinno’s dishes can be found at Stockmann and at Casuarina (Fredrikinkatu 30, 00130 Helsinki). The two women wish to see Elinno in the finest department stores in the world as well as boutiques across Europe, Asia and the US. The negotiations are on in all of these continents, and traditional Lane Crawford, the number one department store in Hong Kong, will begin selling Elinno’s products in the summer.

“We are genuinely doing what we want to, and of course we hope that others will like it as well. We don’t try to do pronouncedly Scandinavian design – clear-form, somewhat sterile. We’re doing our own thing – beautiful and functional objects that we love to use ourselves,” Paunila sums up. “Timeless things, with love and passion.” †

www.elinno.fi

Text Heini Lehtinen Photos Juuso Noronkoski  Translation Jyri Paavilainen

Kide MSCHIC

Helsinki-based MSCHIC cosmetics are sold everywhere from Paris to The United Arab Emirates and online from Hanko to Utsjoki. The packaging for Kide MSCHIC is a keeper for design-oriented people.

”MSCHIC,” says a sign alongside Mannerheimintie, in the newest part of Forum shopping center. There lies a tiny store between Swedish and British clothing giants and a sporting goods store. ”Another clothing label,” thinks many a by-passer who hasn’t popped in.

Wrong. MSCHIC isn’t a clothing label, nor is it Swedish or British. It’s a Helsinki-based cosmetics company started only three years ago. Some of its products are made in the same Italian and US factories as Chanel cosmetics, and you can find them for example in the renowned Parisian luxury department store Galerie Lafayette. Oh, and also online, which is where the company got started.

Many people are thinking about starting their own company, but very few think of cosmetics. “It’s a little bit like starting your own car manufacturing plant – it might seem impossible, but it really isn’t,” says MSCHIC founder MARIKA SNELLMAN-SÖDERSTRÖM.

Kide MSCHIC.

Starting online

Snellman-Söderström dove into the cosmetics business without any background in chemistry or the beauty business. Instead, she had a business degree and a long career in large corporations.

It took her a year to figure out how a cosmetics company functions. “I got the right people together, and MSCHIC was born in May 2007. I’m a firm believer in the web, so I launched my brand online. After that, we just waited anxiously whether anyone would show up,” she recounts. “Everyone thought the concept was impossible, because MSCHIC doesn’t import cosmetics. Instead, we have our own brand with 400 products.”

Nowadays the average online order is worth 70 euros, and part of the clientele places almost 20 orders a year. The MSCHIC store, opened in downtown Helsinki in November 2008, sees smaller but more frequent purchases. Some customers buy a larger batch of mineral cosmetics at a time, others – mostly young girls – look for bright colors.

Even though Snellman-Söderström doesn’t have a cosmetics-related education, she has a strong background in fashion through her father. She designs all new colors herself and tells the chemists what she wants or doesn’t want in her products. Any new products are prototyped at the factory and sent to Finland for testing. Some are approved, and some sent back with suggestions for improvements.

At the moment, Snellman-Söderström is hiring agents and expanding MSCHIC worldwide. The next step is Middle East and Asia. She’s also looking to have more franchising stores and shop-in-shops in Finland.

Pure luxury

Kide MSCHIC.

In addition to their signature line of color cosmetics, MSCHIC has also designed and realized a line of cosmetics for Seppälä, and combated smoking with their Skunk Girl by MSCHIC make-up line. Their latest innovation is Kide MSCHIC, made for the design and luxury-oriented. This series of ecological luxury mineral make-up packed in sleek wooden boxes is sold for example at Galerie Lafayette. “That tells you something about our vision,” Snellman-Söderström notes.

Kide MSCHIC products are manufactured in Italy and packed in Finland into wooden containers designed in co-operation with Helsinki and Tokio-based design agency Musuta Ltd’s JOPSU RAMU and TIMO HUHTALA. Kide MSCHIC will expand in fall 2010 to include care products with packaging made from wood and stone.

“The Kide series contains pure materials, diamonds and green and white tea,” Snellman-Söderström lists. “The most important thing is ecological luxury. People who like beautiful things think of Kide products as ornaments, not just cosmetics.”

Who knows – hopefully we’ll soon see MSCHIC products on the shelves of Tokyo’s avantgarde luxury boutiques. †

MSCHIC Store, Forum, Mannerheimintie 14, 00100 Helsinki

www.mshic.com, www.kidemschic.com