Our stay at the Nordic Bloggers Experience it was full of opportunities to get to know this Scandinavian capital and also to experience its artistic ferment. The organization of the blog tour thus catapulted us out of the hotel already in the early hours of Friday morning after an exhilarating sauna at 7.30. Took tram 9, our Visit Helsinki guide literally made us run between boutiques, design houses, shops and very particular 'art factories' in what is the Design District Helsinki.
Our first stop was like that Made in Finland, a large space where there were over 3000 articles by numerous Finnish artists. Typically Scandinavian design with objects of wood, felt, glass, leather, metal or plastic. Then clothes, clothing or other items that make this place a small mecca for those looking for an unusual collector's item.
The stay in each destination cannot exceed half an hour and so in a cold Helsinki, snowy but with a spectacular blue sky, we walk quickly to move to the Pink exhibition, at Local. As the term itself says, the exhibitor's intention was to collect works of art of all kinds that had pink as a common denominator. Thanks to the large external window it is possible to observe the exhibition also from the street, but I invite you to enter it. Works of art of all kinds and with considerable prices. The thing that strikes us immediately is the warmth with which we are welcomed, in spite of the classic belief that this is a cold people. Each exhibition we visit, or design house, has the particularity of having a small internal space where you can warm up with a cup of tea, coffee or other, even eating something. This also helps us to mitigate the constant - 13 degrees outside.
It is then the turn of Marimekko, one of the best known brands in Finland and in the world, with its shop and its windows overlooking the central Esplanadinkatu. The external relations manager awaits us, illustrating the new campaign launched and handing us a beautiful handbag with the classic floral motif that made Marimekko famous. Of course we take a stroll around the store admiring the spring 2014 collection… and we struggle to keep our hands from buying something even though they were also on sale. After a quick lunch at the Salutorget, Scandinavian bistro (which I will tell you about) we are accompanied by a shuttle to the Helsinki area called Kallio, one of the liveliest areas for nightlife in the capital. We visit the Made in Kallio, one of the fashion & design brands that is becoming more and more known in the market. The peculiarity is the building, that is an old building occupied by numerous artists who adhere to the Made in Kallio project, each independent and occupying one of the spaces made available in the building by paying. We are thus accompanied on a tour inside the building among carpenters, filmmakers, tailors and photographers who, as always, welcome us with a smile and then a cup of coffee (with dessert) in the small bar inside.
What did we notice on this tour? That women in Finland and Scandinavia play very important roles in society and in the fashion & design industry with evident success.
