Maarit Salolainen
Maarit Salolainen is the Professor of Textile Design and Head of the MA Major in Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. She is a textile design expert with an extensive track record in the global industry.
Salolainen has developed higher education studies in textile design, focusing on renewing textile studio pedagogy and linking textile studies to fashion education. Salolainen is passionate about bridging textile knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. She has initiated experimental pedagogy in multidisciplinary pedagogical platforms, exposing students from non-design backgrounds to creative artistic processes.
In addition to her academic work, Salolainen has worked internationally in the textile industry, latest as creative director at the Turkish textile mill Vanelli Textile, leading a team of 25 designers to design and develop new concepts, products and collections for international interior textile editors and brands.
Her book, Interwoven – Exploring Materials and Structures (AaltoARTS Books 2022), a textbook and guide to mastering textile design, won the International Creative Media Awards gold medal in the category of Educational textbooks. The book will be published by Thames & Hudson in 2024. In 2014, Salolainen was awarded the Designer of the Year award by the Finnish Designers Association.