English

Young Designers Celebrate Art of Fashion Through Community, Craftsmanship and Conceptual Design in Helsinki

Report this content


The Amos Rex SS25 show at Fashion in Helsinki 2025, curated by Minttu Vesala. This year, the Aalto Fashion Graduation Show will take place at the Amos Rex Courtyard in Helsinki. Photo: Kerttu Penttilä

Helsinki, 19 May 2026 – New Finnish fashion combines conceptual collections, technological innovations and Finnish values such as equality and transparency. Country's leading fashion event, Fashion in Helsinki highlights the young desigers and emerging practices by bringing together Finland´s design legacy and avant garde collections of 11 young designers in the historical Seurasaari island.

Fashion in Helsinki 26.-30.5.2026
www.fashioninhelsinki.com

Fashion in Helsinki explores the role of emerging creativity in shaping the future of fashion. Focusing on young designers, emerging brands and new business formats, the event presents a series of fashion shows, talks, exhibitions and presentations during the last week of May 2026 in Helsinki, Finland.

“New Finnish fashion has a cultural narrative. It speaks to a young, digitally connected audience, blending fashion with storytelling, art, music and community. Often here are themes or ways of working, that comment on the current state of the industry and the ways we consume fashion” says Designer and Professor of Practice Ervin Latimer.

“When looking back at Finland’s design legacy, craftsmanship, innovation and empathy have always been key elements of Finnish design. All of these elements are also strongly present in the work of young designers today.”

On 27 May, Fashion in Helsinki celebrates the talent and diversity of Finland’s next generation of fashion makers, as well as the country’s rich architectural heritage, with a presentation featuring Idaliina Friman, Linda Kokkonen, Sini Saavala, Taneli Ukura, Ellen Rajala, Jim Bergström, Ilari Kokkola, Apollo Da Costa Doria, Enni Lähderinne, Nana Lybeck and Anni Salonen. Set on Seurasaari Island, this year’s location brings together the tranquility of Finnish island nature and the country’s cultural heritage through its open-air museum, which showcases historically significant buildings from across Finland and different eras.

Young designers will also be highlighted in the graduate showcases of Aalto University and LAB University of Applied Sciences.


On the left Apollo da Costa Doria, photo: Sofia Okkonen. On the right Ilari Kokkola, photo: Johanna Rontu

New fashion enterprises

“We can see that Finnish fashion is reacting to the new era of the fashion industry, where new models and practices are needed,” Latimer says. “Designer Juha Vehmaanperä’s Craft Punk exhibition at the Architecture and Design Museum is a good example of high-level artistic practice, while designers such as Sini Saavala, Linda Kokkonen and Henna Lampinen work with atelier-based practices focusing on custom-made solutions.”

Many new Finnish fashion labels, such as VAIN, Sofia Ilmonen, Danny Wu, Otsamo, Studio Lamea and Paloceras, work with drops and limited-edition collections using surplus or recycled materials. At the same time, established Finnish brands are also embracing forms of community-driven fashion culture, like Marimekko’s annual Marimekko Day, open to the general public at the Esplanadi Park on 22th of May.

“What we can expect from the future of young voices of Finland is not quickly produced low-price products, but more meaningful ways to create fashion – well-designed and thoughtful collections that comment on local and global phenomena, while operating in new and more sustainable ways for independent brands” Latimer says. 

The future of fashion will also be explored during the Talks sessions, organised in collaboration with A Magazine Curated By. Throughout the week, visitors can discover emerging Finnish labels and young designers at the Amos Rex Museum gallery shop. The week will culminate in the Finnish Fashion Awards, celebrating the most exciting new talents and achievements in the industry.

Fashion in Helsinki partners are Aalto University, LAB university of Applied Sciences, Flow Festival, 1664 Blanc, St George, Miele, Zalando, Authentic Beauty Concept, Make Up Store, EU Cotton, The National Museum of Finland​, Institut Français de Finlande, A Magazine Curated By and Helsinki Partners.

More information
Leena Karppinen
Senior Manager, Brand & PR
Helsinki Partners
leena.karppinen@helsinkipartners.com

Tags:

design Helsinki fashion Marimekko Aalto University Amos Rex craftmanship Fashion in Helsinki Architecture and Design Museum Finnish Fashion Awards Ervin Latimer Idaliina Friman Linda Kokkonen Sini Saavala Taneli Ukura Ellen Rajala Jim Bergström Ilari Kokkola Apollo Da Costa Doria Enni Lähderinne Nana Lybeck Anni Salonen Seurasaari Island LAB University of Applied Sciences young designers Aalto Fashion Graduate Show conceptual design

Subscribe

Media

Media

Quotes

New Finnish fashion has a cultural narrative. It speaks to a young, digitally connected audience, blending fashion with storytelling, art, music and community. Often here are themes or ways of working, that comment on the current state of the industry and the ways we consume fashion.
Ervin Latimer, Designer and Professor of Practice
When looking back at Finland’s design legacy, craftsmanship, innovation and empathy have always been key elements of Finnish design. All of these elements are also strongly present in the work of young designers today. We can see that Finnish fashion is reacting to the new era of the fashion industry, where new models and practices are needed. Designer Juha Vehmaanperä’s Craft Punk exhibition at the Architecture and Design Museum is a good example of high-level artistic practice, while designers such as Sini Saavala, Linda Kokkonen and Henna Lampinen work with atelier-based practices focusing on custom-made solutions.
Ervin Latimer, Designer and Professor of Practice