Fashion Full of Values
Tiia Maria Jaakkola is an aspiring fashion designer driven by strong principles and beliefs. In line with this, her recent collection RUNNELLA communicates her political opinions. On the one side, the fashion line zooms in on the problematic of fascist movements in Finland and, on the other side, it deals with the issue of gender inequality. Even though Jaakkola´s different collections address various social issues, there is one guiding principle that she will always want to follow: producing fashion in a sustainable way.
Manifesto against Fascism
Feminism or fascism, Jaakkola’s designs are driven by her political views. Socially important issues are her main source of inspiration, leading to her collections conveying political or social messages: “Fashion can have statements. People might get encouraged to think about political issues by looking at my designs.” The RUNNELLA collection, in this matter, is a manifesto against Fascism. Taking a closer look at the stitched “NO”, a striking element in her designs, the words “¡No pasarán!” become visible. Spanish for “they shall not pass”, the famous slogan against Fascism became the core idea for Jaakkola’s current collection. Through her designs, she expresses that fascists in general, and the Finnish right-wing movement “Soldiers of Odin” in particular, are not welcome. This is clearly communicated through the travesty of the symbol of the “Soldiers of Odin”, the head of the Viking god Odin: “Using a clown instead of the Viking head should demonstrate what kind of clowns those fascists are. For me, they are not these powerful Vikings. They discriminate against minorities and use our history for racist reasons. That’s a real shame.”
Personalities, not Gender
Alongside the issue of the ongoing right-wing movement, the RUNNELLA collection also denounces another social issue: gender inequality. “Genderless clothing fascinates me. I wish life would not be defined by gender and sexuality. Since we differ between people and not gender, I hope that our future will rather focus on personalities”, Jaakkola states. From her point of view, denim is the most genderless material, another reason why she used it for her unisex fashion concept.
Sustainability instead of “Fast Fashion”
Her main dogma which is also the core idea of her graduate collection RUNNELLA, is sustainability. Running under the subtopic “Go Green Wear Blue”, this line is entirely made of denim - post-consumer denim, to be emphasized. “Denim is one of the most polluting materials in the fashion industry, so it was absolutely clear that I would work with second-hand denim products.” Consequently, Jaakkola used damaged denim remnants that even thrift shops were not able to sell anymore. Even the smallest pieces found a function in the collection through handicraft, for instance as little pompoms.
For Jaakkola, sustainability does not only concern the fashion industry but also the consuming society: “I want to believe in humanity. I would love for people to become aware of their own impact to the environment and for them to make more green decisions. The fashion industry, on its behalf, does not make any secret of where the products are coming from. People need to check the label of their clothes and start questioning it to make wiser decisions. Consumers have the power to demand slow fashion and that will lead companies to act more responsibly. “
Talking about her future path in the fashion industry, Jaakkola points out that sustainability will always strongly influence her: “I don’t want my designs to contribute in harming our environment, it’s like having the pain of the world on your own shoulders.” Before she considers developing her own brand, though, Jaakkola wants to gain more experience with designers who share her “green” values and her passion for provocative statements. Sustainability and politics are, in a sense, a matter of heart to her.
