Laitinen popped up in 2006 at the renowned Hyères fashion festival. It is the work of siblings TUOMAS (b. 1979) and ANNA LAITINEN (b. 1974). For spring 2010, after a season’s break, Laitinen has grown into a full-scale men’s clothing line. The siblings introduced their collection in Paris and Milan, and they’ve also moved the entire Laitinen sales organization into Paris.

“Compared to our previous collections, this spring’s line is more graphical and minimalistic,” says Tuomas, who also teaches at the School of Art and Design. “We’ve tried to be more masculine and disciplined. We’ve combined elements of classic men’s tailoring with sci-fi and biker influences.”

The spring and summer 2010 collection’s materials are mostly digitally printed silk and cotton. Sweaters contain special Japanese thread that combines silk with for example stainless steel. The woollen fabrics come from the same 200-year-old Scottish company that Prince CHARLES orders his suit materials from.

“We manufacture all of our designs also in women’s sizes if necessary, but it’s easier to grow a small collection by focusing mainly on either men’s or women’s clothing. Despite the recession, we’ve gotten new customers, such as department stores Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and Isetan in Japan.”

The collection is available in Helsinki at Wunder (Pursimiehenkatu 5, 00150 Helsinki) and Helsinki10 (Eerikinkatu 3, 00100 Helsinki). The spring collection is also for sale in New York, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Shanghai. †

www.laitinencollection.com

Text Heini Lehtinen Photos Chris Vidal

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