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Helsinki for Design Hunters
Devil in the dress
Devil Dress is one of the most popular garments in Tiia Vanhatapio’s Girls on Film collection.
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Walk on the wild side
MinnaParikka designs high-glam footwear and accessories with a surreal twist.
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One-stop design haven
Featuring all the top names and brightest rising stars, the Design Forum shop is a happy hunting ground for design lovers.
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Colour your world
For bold prints and distinctive textiles, look no further than the brand-new Marimekko flagship store on the Esplanade.
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SSHH… DON’T TELL!
Looking for a maxi-sized necktie or shoes that look like miniature cars? The Secret Shop offers an assortment of off beat fashion and knickknacks.
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Meet Pekka – the Design Fan in the Wild
Deep into Lapland, there is a place where top Finnish design can be seen right at the source of this inspiration: Design House Idoli is an extraordinary design studio and showcase. Its creator, Pekka Sillfors explains why.
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Fresh Runway Designs
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Helsinki for Design Hunters
Whether you are shopping or just exploring, the Finnish capital is a city with some serious style credentials. Great design can be found throughout the city, reaffirming just why it has been designated a 2012 World Design Capital.
If you crave cool, the best place to start the perfect day in Helsinki is the Design District around Diana Park. Follow the black-and-white stickers and discover a hip neighbourhood of 200 trendy boutiques, galleries and eateries. It is a shopping heaven for design aficionados.
This creative hub of 25 streets offers an edgy assortment of fashion, furniture, antiques, home wares and avant-garde accessories. For example, if you want seductive footwear then visit the Minna Parikka Boutique, while the Design Forum is great for crafts and design classics.
Bold is beautiful
For odd ball souvenirs, don’t miss the Secret Shop, a diminutive emporium of whimsical items by Aamu Song and Johan Olin. A visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art located next door is also well worth it for its cool shop and café… not to mention the amazing art and architecture.
If up-market design is more your thing, take a stroll down the café-lined Esplanade. Must-sees include the immaculate Artek furniture showroom, the deliciously colourful new flagship store of world-renowned design house Marimekko and the new Samuji boutique featuring one of Finland’s most acclaimed fashion designers, Samu-Jussi Koski.
Fashion forward
If you can drag yourself away from the high street of Scandinavian chic, make your way to Kiseleff House in the historic Senate Square. Shop for achingly stylish accessories at the new flagship boutique of handbag brand called Lumi. Don’t miss Tiia Vanhatapio’s wickedly sexy vintage-inspired party-wear.
One great aspect about Helsinki is that you will find design everywhere, not only in the high-end boutiques.
Helsinki
Helsinki is a modern pocket-sized European city of culture that is known for its design and high technology. Helsinki’s attractive and unique character comes from its proximity to the sea, which offers an endless number of exciting opportunities in summer and winter alike.
