Super week for fashion students from Aalto University

Elina Määttänen, Sophie Sälekari and the partnership of Elina Äärelä and Heini-Maria Hynynen have been selected to be among the ten finalists at the Hyères Fashion Festival.

Every year the competition judges are drawn from amongst the most influential international figures in the fashion world. This year the panel of judges will be chaired by Chanel’s Design Director, Virginie Viard. Other members of the judging panel include Princess Caroline of Monaco, Carine Roitfeld, the former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue France and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Purple magazine, Olivier Zahm.

In recent years, two collections from Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture have won first prize at the Hyères Fashion Festival. In 2012, Siiri Raasakka,Tiia Sirén and Elina Laitinen,  final-year undergraduate students, were awarded the Grand Prix for their collection of men’s’ clothes and in the spring of 2013, designer Satu Maaranen took the first prize.

The event has been held at the famous Villa Noailles in Hyères on the French Riviera since the beginning of the 1980s and is regarded as one of the world's most prestigious fashion competitions. It is put together by the same producers and casting-directors who create the exhibitions for the great fashion houses such as Chanel and Balenciaga for the Paris fashion week. The Festival International de Mode & de Photographie Hyères celebates its 30th anniversary this year and will be held from 23rd to 27th April at the Villa Noailles in France.

Rolf Ekroth wins Designers’ Nest Award

Rolf Ekroth, who studies Fashion Design at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, won the Nordic Designers’ Nest Award with his men’s wear collection. According to the international panel, Ekroth’s strengths included good use of colours and his use of materials in the collection is admirable.

Designer's Nest is one of the most prestigious competitions for students of fashion and clothing design in the Nordic countries. The competition, which takes place twice a year, was first held in February 2005.

Students of fashion and clothing design at the School of Arts, Design, and Architecture have been successful at the Designer's Next competition before. Students at the school have been awarded medals in the competition since 2006.

“Näytös2015” exhibition into your diary!

The new collections will be presented in an exhibition for the public on 22nd May 2015 at 18.00 in Suvilahti, Helsinki. The show, which is organised each spring, showcases to the public the new collections designed by students who are graduating from Aalto University’s degree programme in Fashion and Clothing Design.

More pictures: http://materialbank.aalto.fi:80/public/f96870cbc8F5.aspx