Creepy Grannies

 The research in my graduate collection is really personal as I usually tend to have. The whole collection, and especially the research, has been a dive into my own mind and thoughts. My graduate collection is inspired by my late grandmother, her home, my backpacking trip in Balkans and hint of a Marie Antoinette's time. During my back-packing trip in Balkans, I was exploring the Eastern European culture, which reminded me of old Finnish countryside culture in the 60’s. I was also photographing the abandoned houses and sometimes even sleeping in them.

I especially got inspiration from my lady-farmer grandmother, a mother of 13 children, who always wore rubber boots and a scarf. I have always admired her ability to take care of the children, house, farm and even make the clothes for herself and for the children.

As I was working with my collection, I was thinking about a granny who is living in an abandoned house with her own crazy thoughts. She would think she is Marie-Antoinette herself, and she would make her own clothes from plastic waste and old curtains and table-cloths. The collections granny actually has a hint of me and my craziness. My collections lady is -how I call her- a Creepy Granny.

For me in fashion, as in any arts, it is really important to have a great balance between contrary things. In my graduate collection there is great balance between crude and elegant elements. Lightweight fabrics combined with rough materials, delicate fabrics combined with crude worn-out-materials. I have always found modest and simple, everyday life things as the most inspirational. Things some people might even find ugly. I love the feeling when I get people to wonder how something they first found ugly actually turns out to be something beautiful.