Stubbornly going against the current – guided by values
The entrepreneurs behind the clothing brand Aate Clothing, Maija Nuppula and Miina Launiainen, want to keep production in Finland.
Few garments are entirely made in Finland. Even when designed in Finland and made from fabric produced in Finland, they are increasingly sewn elsewhere.
For clothing designer Maija Nuppula making anything other than fully Finnish garments is not an option.
“I also try to source almost everything in Finland. That way I know where it has been made and who has made it – and that the maker has been fairly compensated.”
After fifteen years running the Second Chance clothing brand, Nuppula is entering a new phase. The old brand has been replaced with a new one, and her time as a sole entrepreneur has come to an end with the arrival of a business partner, Miina Launiainen.
But the values have not changed. The garments sold under the Aate Clothing brand are still designed in Mathildedal, the fabrics are knitted in Orivesi, the prints are produced at a textile printing house in the village of Aito in Pälkäne, and the garments are sewn in Tampere and Oitti.
The shop at Mathildedal Ironworks will also remain.
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“We do everything completely differently from what is typical in the clothing industry. We are firmly going against the current,” Nuppula and Launiainen say.
For them, it is the only right path.
“It is a fully value-based choice. We stubbornly want to keep production in Finland. For a small company it is also a way to stand out.”
The entrepreneurs behind Aate Clothing see domestic production as not only a matter of responsibility but also of quality.
It is not easy, however. Jersey fabric, from which most of the brand’s garments are made, is now produced by only one knitted fabric manufacturer in Finland. The prints are made using flatbed printing at a textile printing house – and there is only one of those left in Finland as well.
“We cannot really shop around for manufacturers. It is also difficult to find seamstresses. Organising production is a lot of work,” Nuppula says.
Until now, Nuppula has designed the prints herself. In the future, Launiainen’s input will also be visible in them.
The entrepreneurs behind Aate Clothing see domestic production as both a matter of responsibility and of quality. Fabrics printed using flatbed printing are more durable in terms of colour than the widely used digital printing.
Finnish sewing work is of high quality. The garments are designed to fit the Finnish body.
“We pay close attention to how the clothes fit,” the women say.
Nuppula would like to see the clothing industry move in a direction where people think of clothes as an investment.
“Many people see a car as an investment. Money is saved for it, and it is maintained and repaired. For some reason, clothes are bought even for a single evening and then thrown away.”
With proper care and washing, a good-quality garment can last for decades, Nuppula points out.
“A Finnish garment is also more than just a piece of clothing. There is always a story behind it,” Launiainen says.
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