PRESS RELEASE 2nd of September 2019
Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Fashion Week kicks off SYMPOSIUM tour in New York
The 2019 edition of Helsinki Fashion Week has concluded in the sunny capital of Finland, once again transformed the landscape of Helsinki city into a hub of sustainable experimentations. From
converting a historic palace into a biotechnological micro forest with the urban curtain to hosting an exhibition which showcased some of the most prominent innovations in material production, HFW managed to connect fashion with the rest of the world, blurring the man-made boundaries between various industries enabling interdisciplinary collaborations.
In line with advancing its sustainability agenda, this September, HFW is heading to four of the big-gest fashion capitals of the world – New York, London, Milan, and Paris – as part of the SYMPO-
SIUM tour to spark various much-needed dialogues and address fundamental issues regarding different aspects of the fashion industry.
Celebrating cultural influences, the SYMPOSIUM tour kicks off in New York on Friday, 6th of September 2019 with an event co-hosted with and at the Consulate General of Finland.
As an essential element of human identity and a source of innovations and creativity, culture possesses the power to enable sustainable solutions to global challenges in numerous industries – es-
pecially in the textile and fashion industry.
The event commences at 9:30 A.M with a fashion installation titled Connecting Fashion and Impacts, presenting intriguing narratives of carefully selected international designers who successful-
ly translated sustainability into the creative process of crafting garments.
Designers such as Patrick McDowell approached sustainability through creativity in his playful genderless designs, reinventing luxury by using waste fabrics from Burberry, LVMH, Kering and
local suppliers in the UK as well as deadstock crystals from Swarovski.
The label young n sang, known for improvisational work in their first collection, developed their techniques to create a zero-waste collection including shoe covers that double as mops. The col-
lection combines repurposed secondhand garments with contemporary streetwear aesthetics using vivid colours and prints from the street of South Korea.
KA WA KEY is the gender-fluid label that challenges the idea of masculinity through reinterpreting textures, soft pastel color palette and artisanal self-crafted fabrics in their London studio. KA WA KEY incorporates sustainability through developing their own fabrics with organic natural fibers and yarns from up-cycled materials, creating interesting textures that mimic fur and leather from wool fibers as well as minimizing waste with fully-fashion knitting and ZERO-D technology.
Bleu Chose combines craftsmanship, luxury and collective consciousness by overseeing all facets of the design and production process. The collection was produced in France with sustainable fab-
rics ranging from vegetal, recycled fibers to organic, GOTS and PFC-free standard fabrics. A.BCH is a successful fashion label with a minimal and functional design and a circular economy
standard by offering full disclosure, from fiber to finish, of how each garment is made. Burlesque Tsunami is a Finnish label that strongly focuses on local sustainability through its col-
laboration with the City of Helsinki Education Division in the making of its latest collection with the underlying principles of ‘fusion learning’ , a collaborative approach to design that connects together young generations from kids in the local elementary schools to local artists and designers. The entire collection, consisting of clothing, shoes and accessories, is made out of 100% recycled materials.
Anna Ruohonen is a Paris-based Finnish fashion label that delivers custom-made sustainable luxury fashion with the aesthetics of Nordic minimalism and French elegance. Intentional simplicity
in designs combined with high-quality materials and skilled craftsmanship give the collections a strong identity and make them timeless.
At 10:00 A.M, the event proceeds with a panel focusing on Sustainability and Cultural Influences.
The discussion emphasizes the importance of cultures in the progress of transforming the fashion industry into a sustainable one in a national, regional and international scope. All four events will
be moderated by Evelyn Mora – Founder of Helsinki Fashion Week. The New York talk will be joined by an exciting board of speakers including Sara Kozlowski – Director of Education and Professional Development of CFDA as well as Carry Sommers – Founder of Fashion Revolution.
The next tour date will be on the 16th of September 2019 in London and co-hosted by and located at the Finnish Institute in London. The panel will be joined by Extinction Rebellion , Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion, Eco-Age and more.
More info on the Milan and Paris Symposiums will be published during the second week of September.
For more information, please contact :
contact@nordicfashionweekgroup.com
www.helsinkifashionweek.com