minä perhonen – high end fashion with a Finnish name already for 20 years

What Finland means to me —a series of interviews with Japanese on themes and people that connect Finland and Japan

Akira Minagawa

Despite its small size in population, Finland seems to have established a unique status in Japan, enjoying an increasing number of fervent Finnish fans. Some of them encountered Finland first time through a fashion brand called minä perhonen. The company borrows its name from Finnish language: minä is "I" and perhonen is "butterfly." Designer Akira Minagawa feels special adoration for Finland, thus even selected Finnish words to name his own brand. But why is he so much in love with Finland? The friendly relationship started in his first visit when he felt so at home.

First trip to Finland at age 19

Minagawa grew up seeing Finnish furniture at the shop run by his grandparents in Tokyo. He was so impressed by Finnish design that he wanted to see more of them in the land where they were born. In February, 1986 at age 19 he visited Helsinki for the first time. The central station in Helsinki was still roofless at that time.

On the way to Rovaniemi on the train, he met twin girls who showed interest in him. "They were seated in front of me and kept looking back to me. I gave them a matryoshka doll and obtained permission take a photo  of one of them. They are in their 30s now," he chuckled.  This shot is one of his favorite photos and used in his book.

The photos Minagawa took in his trips to Finland

In Rovaniemi, he loved the local library where he spent hours browsing through beautiful photography books. At other places he visited museums and by doing so he became familiar with Finnish art.

"People in Finland were so kind to me," he said. "The lady worker at the Youth Hostel in Rovaniemi sometimes fixed me meals  and passengers on the train talked to me. I was traveling alone so I may have looked lonely or something. At the café I frequented in Helsinki, people sometimes talked to me and even offered a drink."

After his impressive stay in Finland,  Minagawa was scheduled to move on to Sweden. He stopped a car driving by and asked the driver‒a total stranger‒to give him a ride, and this gentleman kindly drove him to the pier and saw him off. 

Giving his brand a Finnish name

Ever since, he has visited Finland many times, mostly in the dead of winter. And today, he said he feels amazingly comfortable in Finland, partly thanks to absence of sense of social class. Even for tourists, he said, it was clear that gender equality at workplace is observed. "At the bank, for instance, everybody wears one's own clothes, (while women tellers wear uniform in Japan). I have a feeling that there are no jobs designed based on the gender in Finland," he said. Equality in society is one main reason why Minagawa loves Finland.

When he came to name his brand, he really wanted to find suitable words from the language spoken in the very place he loved. He opted for Finnish. For him, the Finnish "I"—or minä—was a perfect choice. In 1995 his company started as just "minä," then it was renamed "minä perhonen" eight years later.

"For us it is extremely important to manufacture our original fabric. We draw designs first and then make fabric using those designs. Just as the fact that there are countless butterfly wing designs, we strive for creating beautiful designs lightly and eternally. This image of butterlires embodies such dream."

He also explained that the word minä is great in that it is the first person. "We are aiming at a 100-year-old company. After me, somebody else takes over my work. In the future, this name—minä—can mean the person in charge, no matter who is going to be the chief designer. Everybody can be the main player under the name of minä!"

Just as this episode suggests, Minagawa himself treasures the concept of aging—to use materials and goods for a long time and enjoy the process of their development.  He therefore hopes that his customers also enjoy his products for decades.

Collaboration with Artek
minä perhonen
The collaboration with Artek Three-legged Stool 60

On and off, Minagawa has collaborated with Finnish design house Artek, but those programs were only temporary. In 2014 minä perhonen took a new turn and started a long-lasting project.

In 2014 Minagawa made a new double-faced interior fabric durable for many years.

This Japan-made moleskin fabric comes in 34 color combinations for three patterns, is shipped to Finland and "meets" Artek's signature piece "Three-legged stacking Stool 60" designed by Finnish maestro Alvar Aalto in 1933. The fabric covers the seat of the world-famous stools.

The concept behind this project is a sort of homage to Finnish lifestyle that is known for its appreciation for goods.  The textile is hard-wearing, but the color and texture may change as time goes by. But, Minagawa believes that the aging process itself is enjoyable and also will help create the user's own stool. Now that the textile is a double-faced reversible type, having a different color on each side, another color will appear as the textile surface wears, Minagawa explained. He also hopes that each stool will be passed down for generations.

"Artek continues to manufacture this stool, respecting and appreciating one single designer's philosophy. The material and methods may have been slightly modified due to the condition of the time but basically the product has been faithfully made," Minagawa said. For him, this project means something very special in that he respects Aalto highly and deeply.

When Minagawa started minä, his customers would ask the meaning of his brand and what language this word came from. Nowadays, people hardly ask the origin of this word. And a lot of people probably come across Finland via minä perhonen.

To celebrate  its 20th anniversary in 2015 minä perhonen will have an exhibition at Spiral in Tokyo.

What Finland means to me:  Hoping to become a teacher in Finland--Erika Takahashi, the author of an insightful book on Finnish Education based on her own high school days in Rovaniemi