Aino Korhonen is a Finnish designer (and mom of two young boys) who lives in Helsinki. She has MA in fashion design from Aalto University of Art and Design with a specialization in knitwear. Her beautiful collection Nieva is minimalist, with an eye toward detail and hand feel.
“I love good knitwear made from natural material for its simplicity, everyday wearability and warmth – I wear my wool knits all year round” says Aino; “to me, a well-made quality knit presents an understated elegance that is hard to find in any other material”. And looking at the Nieva collection confirms that it’s all about simplicity and deep quality. Aino aims at designing clothes that aren’t too fragile or precious as for her the meaning of clothes is to be used as much as possible. She makes them comfortable and functional.
The knits are designed in Finland and manufactured in an honest and fair manner by artisans in Portugal and Bolivia. In Portugal, Nieva is produced in a small workshop in Porto (with Danish yarns). In Bolivia, which was chosen for the amazing know-how in knitting, the brand works with a great fairtrade certified producer using the local Pima Cotton.
The Summer 2016-collection was inspired by the short, slightly melancholic yet sweet Scandinavian summers – it can be quite chilly there all year round so sweaters are a must. For this collection, Aino was very inspired by Finnish writer Tove Jansson’s “The Summer Book” which perfectly captures the magic of Northern summers. A reminder that there is no need of magic or any other fantastical adornments to discover pure, beautiful magic in the natural world all around us. We only need to quiet our lives and open our eyes to it. Here’s an extract of the book :
“Every year, the bright Scandinavian summer nights fade away without anyone’s noticing. One evening in August you have an errand outdoors, and all of a sudden it’s pitch-black. A great warm, dark silence surrounds the house. It is still summer, but the summer is no longer alive. It has come to a standstill; nothing withers, and fall is not ready to begin. There are no stars yet, just darkness.”
A very poetic surrounding for a beautiful Northern collection.
Florence Rolando
Launched in London in early 2009 by Florence Rolando (journalist, co-founder of Bubble Trade Shows) Pirouette Blog has been a reference in the industry since 2009 with its combined business and consumer view of the children’s market. A fantastic resource for children’s fashion, design, trends and culture, it aims to support creativity and talent but it also does this by talking about life, family, culture and health.
Florence is an international leader in the industry (8 years as a Milk Collaborator, contributor to Naif Magazine in Spain, co-founder of Bubble Trade Shows in New York and London).
Now Florence runs Energy Therapy Porto @enrgy_therapy_porto
Subscribe to Pirouette's monthly Newsletter.
You might also like
August 23, 2024
Wheat x Pernille Teisbaek collab
Ambassador for the Danish Childhood Cancer Foundation, Pernille Teisbæk, and WHEAT have launched a limited-edition capsule collection of children’s clothing in support of the Danish Childhood…
July 22, 2024
ESCADA, for all generations of women
Interview with Ioana de Vilmorin, Escada Global Creative Director Though the fashion industry is densely populated with women they become much more scarce the higher you climb, yet Escada is…
June 5, 2024
Innovation & determination, the making of DockATot
Interview with Lisa Kotsianis - DockATotLisa Furuland Kotsianis founded DockATot in 2007 and with it a whole new product category was born. Her passion for growing the business is supplanted only by…
March 28, 2024
Sticky Lemon creates new clothes collection
Bold and colourful, Sticky Lemon is much loved for their range of bags and accessories. Now they've added clothes to the mix.I often get asked in interviews ‘what draws your attention to a…
March 27, 2024
Bobo Choses opens new flagship store.
New bricks & mortar store for Bobo Choses Bobo Choses has opened a new flagship store, Rambla de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain & we are sending our congratulations! Here’s a little…
March 20, 2024
Do you know Little Cotton Clothes?
Quality collection with a hint of English countryside Sisters and mums, Imogen & Leonie threw caution to the wind after both starting a family by then starting to design their own kidswear…
March 1, 2024
Introducing ‘True Artist’, the new kidswear brand by Bobo Choses’ Founder Adriana Esperalba
True Artist is a new Spanish brand that offers a wide range of kidswear and accessories exploring the world of emotions, the virtual and the intangible through art. Their colourful designs are…
October 16, 2023
Pirouette Picks: 5 unisex kid’s halloween costumes to play in all year round.
Dressing up for Halloween and beyond Looking for a halloween costume for the kids. Why not invest in a costume from an independent brand that’s produced with quality and longevity in mind. In…
March 30, 2023
Pirouette picks: Bootstock, NL
Brands you should know: Bootstock January's wholesale tradeshow season was fantastic for discovering relatively young brands. Due to the pandemic many have not been able to show their collection in…