According to Rolf Ekroth, there’s no Finnish equivalent of the Danish concept of hygge. While there might not be a name for it, this homey, knit-rich collection suggests it exists nevertheless.
In Ekroth’s new lineup, winter sports vied with an interiors theme. One of the hero pieces was a Barbour-style jacket with a tufted back inspired by the designer’s grandmother’s “’80s velvet couch” on which the family would gather to watch the Winter Olympic and other snow sports. “The Finns used to win a lot,” he noted with his typical deadpan humor.
Actual velvet made its way into the collection through a partnership with the Finnish rug maker Mattocenter. Lovely as they were, these materials added a touch of haute boheme that competed with the more domestic theme.
When it came to knitwear, the designer was in his groove. Inspired by Nordic patterns, these featured little figures, birds, and other rustic elements. In partnership with Novita, a yarn company, kits will be sold for the needle-wielders. “Twenty percent of the Finnish population do some sort of knitting,” explained Ekroth backstage, “and that was news to me because I’m not one of those 20%.” He is, however, extremely craft oriented. The “snowballs” bouncing on the finale looks were handcrafted by Ekroth and his parents, who regularly lend a hand to such projects. The harlequin pattern, for example, on a pair of maroon-and-blue pants is not a print, but created by cutting up old Puma football shirts and sewing the pieces together individually. The gold coins on a smart cardigan represented sports medals; they were printed with a Super Mario 8 bit graphic referencing another couch-surfing activity Ekroth is fond of. Speaking of which, “Rakas,” a word appearing on hoodies and such, translates to “dear one” or “love.”
Some of Ekroth’s earlier work had technical/functional aspects that were really exciting. Given the theme, that kind of approach could have been interesting here; still there was lots to warm to.