Fashion in Helsinki 2026: From shaping Nordic identity to a platform for new voices

This month Helsinki is preparing for a new edition of the annual Fashion in Helsinki event. The official program runs from May 26th to 30th. The event presents numerous independent, young and partly established talents from the region and underlines the city’s status as a growing fashion capital.

While many of these locations emphasize marketable, commercial trade, Finland has taken a markedly different path. Brands like Marimekko are among the few that have conquered the international market. Names like Rolf Ekroth and Latimmier may be known beyond the Nordic borders. But when it comes to fashion in Helsinki, the focus is deliberately on up-and-coming names.

A design-oriented industry

Compared to other Scandinavian countries, which are typically driven by commercially successful fashion companies, the Finnish industry focuses on design. According to Martta Louekari, communications director at Juni Communication & Production, designers tend to first develop a vision for the brand before building a team around it. This is in contrast to the approach of relying on branding agencies and experienced founders. The system is comparable to that of Antwerp and follows a model rooted in traditional craftsmanship and tailoring.

Similar to the Belgian fashion capital, the Finnish event builds on the distinctive features and hallmarks of the local industry. The organizers have further strengthened this focus as global interest grows. “This country and its history used to be known for architecture and product design. However, today fashion is definitely one of the most interesting design principles from Finland,” Louekari told FashionUnited. “So many exciting things are happening at the moment and new brands are developing very quickly.”

Individuality over commercial success

Commercial success is not one of the core values ​​of fashion in Helsinki. This is largely due to the individual approaches of local creatives. Louekari notes that the design talent in the region is clearly noticeable. Many graduates of Aalto University’s fashion department go on to work for large luxury houses.

Some of these talents occasionally return to Finland and use their accumulated knowledge to start their own labels. The number of such brands has increased in recent years. According to Louekari, many of them are less than five years old.

It is common to maintain an identity that is so deeply rooted in the avant-garde. This maintains a quality that is deeply anchored in Finnish design history and is evident in architecture and craftsmanship as well as in fashion. “The question is how do you build a brand around these issues,” Louekari said. “We have some success stories from commercially recognized brands. But we are now seeing a change coming from young designers who have grown up right in the internet age. The way they work and the way the commercial side of a brand is built is new.”

Many of these designers choose to work exclusively in drops rather than seasonal collections. Sales take place primarily via social media or own channels such as an independent web store. This has created a new generation of very independent brands. They work in formats that suit them, rather than bowing to the constraints of international systems. This is a far cry from the industries of traditional fashion regions.

Efforts to strengthen global reach are reflected in partnerships with other events such as Copenhagen Fashion Week, for which Fashion in Helsinki has acted as a knowledge partner. The Danish counterpart operates in a completely different commercial world than Finland. However, it adheres to the same values ​​of supporting emerging designers and focusing on sustainability. Louekari said the collaboration was very fruitful, connecting brands with buyers and other stakeholders. Nevertheless, the two events have different goals in terms of commerciality.

Marimekko as a cornerstone of the design heritage

However, Finnish fashion heritage is also celebrated at the event. Before the start of fashion in Helsinki, Marimekko Day, an occasion that has existed for over 30 years, honors one of the country’s most famous designer labels. This also applies this year: on May 22nd, a series of fashion shows will take place in Esplanadi Park, ushering in the summer season.

For many in Finland, Marimekko is a brand they grew up with. It is associated with childhood memories and reflects a historical design legacy. “It’s important in the sense of nostalgia,” Louekari said. “But it is also a brand that has done a good job of translating the Finnish lifestyle and our connection with nature into commercial products.”

Marimekko’s way of working reflects the intimacy of the Finnish design community, where everyone knows each other. Louekari’s sister, for example, has worked as a pattern maker for the brand for over 20 years. Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi, the founder of the Vuokko label, also previously worked for the brand. She is credited with the creation of the Jokapoika shirt, one of Marimekko’s fundamental models.

When organizing an event in this compact environment, it was crucial to ensure consistent quality in design and concept when curating the program, says Louekari. A key challenge is maintaining the balance between global names like Marimekko and emerging voices from Aalto University or other platforms. This is implemented through various presentation formats, from exhibitions to collective fashion shows.

Fashion in Helsinki 2026 program

Four of this year’s events will spotlight a selection of recently graduated or new designers. The KOE26 show on May 26th will showcase the collections of ten graduates exploring different themes. The following day, the Fashion in Helsinki Presentation in Seurasaari offers a platform to eleven up-and-coming Finnish designers. Each of them brings a new perspective to Nordic fashion. This will be followed by the Aalto Graduation Show, a fashion show and exhibition featuring the work of BA and MA fashion students. Finally, the Evol fashion show will introduce a new concept to promote its creative talent platform.

These take place alongside fashion shows, installations and presentations from brands such as Christian Chirayu by Oliver Ahlmark. They also include material-focused label Studio Lamea, Sofia Ilmonen, a modular clothing designer, and Otsamo, a brand focused on modern tailoring and craftsmanship. Also there is Vain, a former participant of Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Various exhibitions in partner museums complement the program and contribute to the goal of bringing new talent into the spotlight. On the opening day, the Museum of Architecture and Design’s exhibition ‘Craft Punk’, curated by Fashion Community Helsinki and Juha Vehmaanperä, will be a guided fashion evening. Meanwhile, the exhibition ‘Generation 2026’ at the Amos Rex Museum presents a triennial of 50 young multimedia artists as well as a pop-up gallery shop, the ‘SS26 Space’.

“Fashion is so much about conceptual collections and treating fashion as an art form that collaborating has always made sense,” Louekari said. She added that many of these museums have remained fashion cooperation partners in Helsinki for long periods of time.

Finnish Fashion Awards

To honor the industry as a whole, fashion in Helsinki launched the Finnish Fashion Awards. The relatively new awards ceremony is now taking place for the third time. The initiative aims to recognize actors from all sectors of the local community, from make-up artists to those responsible for sustainable implementation and retail. “We realized that in addition to designers, we should also recognize the value of work in other areas and celebrate them too,” said Louekari.

This year the ‘Designer of the Year’ category will be introduced. It complements the existing talent award but places a greater focus on creative vision and craftsmanship. The awards will also collaborate with music festival Flow Festival for the Style Icon of the Year award to recognize content creators. “It’s really nice to celebrate the industry together and invite everyone on one evening to see each other and network,” Louekari added.