Teija Vartiainen's fashion collection reminds of global warming
London’s Spitalfields Traders Market is abuzz with activity for the Alternative Fashion Week. Leggy models wearing imaginative clothes by young designers are everywhere. One of the designers taking part in the event is Finnish Teija Vartiainen, 24, with her Arctic Kingdom collection.
Vartiainen got the inspiration for her original collection from American artist Camille Rose Garcia's book Tragic Kingdom compiled from Garcia's paintings and installations.
"It's sort of a fairy tale for adults. The tragic characters, especially the polar bear, made a huge impact on me. The focal work of my collection is a polar bear silk dress made of chenille. The icy colours, white and light blue, derive from Tragic Kingdom", Vartiainen says.
The arctic colours and the polar bear character also provide a link to Vartiainen's Finnish roots.
"I became more aware of my roots in 2008 when I was studying in Lancashire. Being Finnish is a good way to stand out from others on international forums and it's also a bit exotic."
End of disposable fashion
The young designer had another important reason for choosing the polar bear as the theme of her collection – which is also her diploma work: "The polar bear has become a symbol for climate change, one which evokes a lot of emotion. I hope my collection will be a sort of wake-up call reminding people of climate change's consequences for nature's diversity. Global warming is a reality which can't be denied."
Vartiainen values sustainability and environmental-friendliness which is also manifested in her choice of materials.
"I have used wool from Finnish sheep, which I felted myself. I have also used silk, which is of course produced far away in Asia but it is still a more sustainable choice than cotton with a less straining manufacturing process for the environment. Good quality materials also ensure that the product has a long life cycle and that it's recyclable", she explains.
According to Vartiainen, sustainability becomes more and more significant in the clothing industry. She believes that in the future the cycle of fashion industry will slow down and "disposable fashion", as she puts it, will ultimately come to an end.
"It's imperative. But sustainability and environmental-friendliness are also assets to designers. Consumers become more and more eco-aware which can be seen in purchasing behaviour."
Promise of more polar bears
Teija Vartiainen currently studies in Kuopio Academy of Design, which is part of Savonia University of Applied Sciences situated in Eastern Finland. She will graduate later this spring.
Vartiainen familiarised herself with Britain when she was in student exchange at the University of Central Lancashire in the spring of 2008. She did her practical training in London that same year for a Finnish design brand called Funky Homo Sapiens.
What comes next for the young designer? Is she planning to stay in Finland or maybe go abroad again?
"Nothing's been decided yet. The next big event is Kuopio Academy of Design's "Genesis" exhibition in Design Forum Helsinki in May,” she says.
"The economic situation of course has an impact on the fashion industry. After the student exchange I appreciate Finland more than before. There's a lot of fashion know-how in Finland as well as good schools. Then again there are not that many opportunities for a young designer to exhibit the work. Coming back to London might be one possibility if something suitable would come my way."
What about the polar bears? Will we be seeing more of them in the future in Vartiainen's collections?
"We haven't seen the last of the polar bears yet", she promises.
Text: Emilia Erkinheimo, Embassy of Finland
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