On my journey to better work clothing
"My mother sewed our family's clothes very carefully, from high-quality materials to last. This is certainly one of the reasons why the fast fashion boom that took off in the 90s, around the time I graduated, seemed absurd and unreasonable to me even then."
I have only done things that have felt important to me, choices that are based on my values and actions that make it easy to look in the mirror after. In my design career, I have listened to my inner voice, observed the needs of others and tried to find solutions to them. A designer with an engineer's soul, say many. Far from commercial, but always ready to serve, is how I would describe myself.
RESPONSIBLE CREATIVITY STUDIES
Already at the beginning of my studies, I was interested in quality and structures, textile and material techniques. I started my studies at Tampere University of Technology. As my studies progressed, I noticed that, in addition to technical and theoretical aspects, visual design also felt more and more like me. I continued my studies at Wetterhoff Institute of Arts and Crafts, where I graduated as a clothing designer, with the thesis topic of the Design Process of Workwear. After working in the field for a long time, I supplemented my clothing design studies with my entrepreneurship at Aalto University and graduated with a Master of Arts with the thesis topic of Responsible Creativity. Due to my interest in sustainable development and my strong belief that responsibility will be part of the basic operations of companies, I also completed the Helsinki School of Economics' specialization studies in Responsible Business in the early 2000s. Although my educational path with its education and jobs has been quite extensive, sustainable design has always been the guiding star.
CLOTHING FOR NEED AND TO INCREASE PEOPLE'S WELL-BEING
Influencing people's well-being through clothing soon became one of the most important values in my work. I wanted to design products with a functional need - clothes that would last time, use and looks. At the time, sportswear, workwear and children's clothing were the options. Ultimately I selected workwear partly through my internship, but also because I saw a need for a change in the workwear sector. At that time, workwear was often considered only a 'necessary evil', and in my own opinion, it was not very comfortable to wear or beautiful to look at, with a few exceptions. Even in the 90s, workwear was often unisex in size, which meant oversized sizing, especially for women's clothes, and even dangerous sizing at work. The brand was mainly presented cosmetically through color, and the reasons or goals of the company's existence were not explored in more detail. I wanted to create clothes that were comfortable to wear, that communicated the values of the user and the target group, and whose materials were carefully and thoughtfully selected for their comfort. Above all, I wanted to design clothes that would make the wearer feel good throughout the workday and that would make them feel professional pride.
Today, Telakka dresses people equally, men and women, tall and short, small, large and medium-sized, apples, pears, all sizes of life's fruits, from the first summer jobs to retirement positions. Our age range is all between 16-65 years. The majority of products cover men's sizes 44-68 and women's sizes 30-58. Our collection also includes products according to body type. We have received praise precisely for the fact that the products we design are suitable for everyone, regardless of age or size.
In workwear design, my engineering background and interest in technology have been very useful, because in design it is good to understand the structures and fiber contents of textiles and their effect on durability, and to know which material works best in which job and usage environment. My interest in sportswear is also reflected in the workwear I design, where comfort, durability and textile breathability all play a central role.
My design work always begins with a thorough understanding of the client's operations. I want to dive deep into the client's work and operating environment so that I can fully understand what is required of workwear and what features the garment should have to make working even more comfortable. It has required a pioneering approach to create new practices in the field, in which the designer is involved in observing, solving, interviewing and presenting at the client's premises, as well as in the factories solving the production challenges of new innovations. At the beginning of my career, we designers were placed in our own bubble to solve the client's challenge, of which we only had access to intermediary information. I stubbornly tried to get rid of this role and over time, both companies' management and sales were positively surprised by the value that a designer can bring to projects with their thinking. Design thinking understands the customer's needs and enables them to be solved also from the perspective of the manufacturing company.
Once the client's practical needs and materials are known, I give way to creativity. Often the plan is completed in my thoughts while on a jog or in the lap of nature, near the sea or a lake. Only at the end of the design work do I bring my design to life paper by drawing and editing on a computer, to create a presentation which I use to communicate with the client to realize a common vision.
THE DREAM OF A MORE RESPONSIBLE CLOTHING INDUSTRY
I chose workwear over fashion back in the 90s, for a reason, because I wanted to act sustainably, to create everyday clothes that were comfortable and suitable for their intended use. The same opportunity did not exist in disposable fashion, and I wanted to act in accordance with my values. At that time, there was still not much talk about responsibility. As we entered the 2000s, due to world events and the accelerating efficiency mindset, I understood that change was coming. At the very beginning, that change was related to companies' reputation management, and the discussion later changed to talk about economic, social and environmental responsibility. I myself began to look for solutions and question the way companies operate as efficiently as possible, forgetting about people and the environment. I understood that we can aim for better in terms of people's well-being, safety and more ecological materials, without forgetting about economy.
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I began to actively influence fabric factories, looking for more ecological material alternatives, questioning cheap production and financial gain at the expense of product quality. I also wanted to enable the entire industry to develop more responsibly. That is why I have worked extensively in the industry as a pioneer and influencer of responsibility. After completing my specialization studies in Responsible Business, I worked as a CSR coordinator and advisor for a joint Nordic textile and clothing industry project. I considered the issue important and worked on a voluntary basis in addition to my own entrepreneurship. In addition, I brought an international library of ecological materials to designers and clothing companies, which had a large collection of the most environmentally friendly textile innovations of the time.
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In 2010, I also started working with my team to develop my big dream, a responsible fashion ecosystem. The goal of the project was to create a system where small designer-led fashion brand companies would get all the resources they needed for their operations from one place. We were ahead of our time, my dream did not take off and was largely stifled by the industry’s established practices and lack of resources. Today, it has been great to watch how different collaboration models between small and large brands are gaining momentum. Who knows, maybe one day I will dig up the best lessons of the project again. At the time, however, the dream was too expensive to implement and it also started to take up an unreasonable amount of time from my own core competence, workwear design.
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I almost gave up on my original dream of creating better workwear. Luckily, I went back to my roots, because this path, although demanding, is also quite rewarding. Today, I bring the best aspects of workwear, durability and purpose, to all my everyday clothes, at the counter and behind the counter, at home and in the office, at work and at night.
DESIGN AWARDS
City of Helsinki hospital clothing 2000
Posti workwear concept competition 2002
VR workwear 2008
Female priest's uniform 2008
Peaks of the Year, Product Design Series Silver Peak 2011
Ornamo Award, Designer of the Year 2015
Veikkaus workwear 2018
"Of all the recognitions I've received, the greatest reward is seeing the clothes I've designed in use, on people's skin, years or even decades from now. That's when I know I've succeeded in my goal of creating comfortable everyday clothes that will stand the test of time, use and looks."
Wishing you joy at work!
Kirsimari