In a little less than a decade, a new generation of young fashion designers has emerged in Finland which has gained considerable visibility internationally.
The objective of the Helsinki Fashion Summit is to provide young, growth-oriented fashion entrepreneurs with examples, operating models and practical advice for the future. Invitations to the event will also be sent to 'business angels' and investors who are able to see the potential that for the moment lies dormant in the fashion industry and who wish to be involved in promoting internationalisation and growth.
Fashion does not live in a vacuum. The Helsinki Fashion Summit is a cross-disciplinary event where fashion interacts with music, other design and areas such as food and drink.
The event aims to reshape traditional fashion shows and increase interaction between designers and the audience. For example, a fashion show can be preceded by a speech given by a designer and addressed to a select part of the audience: 'what are my motives, my values, what is the story that I wish to tell'. Following the fashion show, a well-organised event could be set up where designers can meet with the media and answer any questions posed by the audience.
The Fashion Summit, founded by the Nordic Fashion Association (NFA), was organised for the first time in Copenhagen in December 2009 in connection with the UN Climate Change conference. At the event, NFA launched its top project, NICE - Nordic Initiative Clean and Ethical.
NICE will also be the focus of the next Fashion Summit which will be organised in Copenhagen at the beginning of May 2012. The Helsinki event will be organised at the end of May 2012 and, as the name indicates, its focus will be on the work of young designers.
