Fashion in Helsinki runs 26–30 May across the city, with Marimekko Day at Esplanadi Park on 22 May marking the unofficial opening. No single venue, no central spectacle — instead, graduate shows, a community garden installation, a magazine launch at a music venue, and a bag brand’s aperitivo. Helsinki does fashion week the way it does most things: distributed, understated, and quietly serious about craft.
A Week Built Around Designers, Not Brands
The programme covers eleven days across dozens of locations, and the dominant logic is designer-first. The KOE26 graduate show takes place at the Cable Factory on 26 May. It presents ten collections from students at LAB University of Applied Sciences. Each collection is rooted in a thesis. Themes include stains in clothing, body textures as knit inspiration, emotional security, and surrealism. The Aalto Fashion graduation show on 28 May — Näytös26 — takes place in the Amos Rex courtyard, with the accompanying Näyttely26 exhibition open to the public through 7 June.
Both are the kind of events that, in other cities, would require connections to attend. Here, standing places at KOE26 are free. Näytös26 is streamed onto The Rex screen facing Narinkkatori for anyone passing by. That openness is not accidental — it reflects a consistent orientation across the week toward access over exclusivity.
The City as Venue
The locations are part of the argument. Sofia Ilmonen presents her modular garment collection at Kumpula Siirtolapuutarha — a community allotment garden. Alex Luonto stages a decade retrospective show on the streets of Kallio on 31 May, with free admission. The Fashion in Helsinki Presentation on 27 May takes place at Seurasaari, the island open-air museum combining Finnish architectural heritage with island nature.
This use of the city — its parks, its industrial spaces, its cultural institutions — is characteristic of how Helsinki approaches creative events. As explored in “Cities Are No Longer Selling Places. They Are Selling Experiences“, the most effective urban cultural programming integrates into the fabric of daily city life rather than cordoning it off. Fashion in Helsinki does exactly that. The Cable Factory, Amos Rex, Seurasaari, and a Kallio street are all doing the same work.
Craft, Sustainability, and the Industry’s Actual Questions
The Fashion in Helsinki Talks take place on 29 May at Bio Rex. Designers, editors, and industry figures gather at the event. Participants include Sanna-Kaisa Niikko from Marimekko, Alexis Djouahra from the Hyères International Festival, and writer and consultant Taylore Scarabelli. The conversation focuses on emerging creativity and fashion’s response to global change. Hosted in collaboration with A Magazine Curated By and moderated by senior editor Albert Shyong, the session is followed by the Näytös/Näyttely26 Award Ceremony.
Earlier in the week, a lunch discussion on 26 May takes on European responsible cotton and the EU’s incoming digital product passport for textiles. The forced labour ban is also on the agenda. It is the kind of regulatory and supply chain conversation that rarely surfaces at fashion weeks — but shapes the industry’s actual future. Speakers include the President of the European Cotton Alliance and a Professor from Aalto University.
The sustainability thread runs through the designer work itself. CHRISTIAN CHIRAYU — Oliver Ahlmark’s couture-inspired label, making its first independent runway presentation at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on 27 May — works with recycled materials, handmaking each piece in Seinäjoki. Studio Lamea focuses on surplus and newly sourced fabrics selected for longevity. Krista Virtanen’s Lucky Loser, which opened the programme on 19 May, is an upcycled tennis collection.
New Voices and the Finnish Fashion Awards
On 29 May, S2 Magazine launches its first print issue at Kaiku. The publication describes itself as an independent platform that explores fashion, design, art, music, and visual culture through the lens of contemporary and diverse Finland. It places particular emphasis on voices and perspectives that mainstream media often underrepresents. Its first print issue covers the theme SHIPS: relationships between communities, art forms, people, and places. The launch is by invitation, but the magazine itself is public.
The Finnish Fashion Awards 2026 close the evening, recognising designers across categories including New Talent, Sustainability, Style Icon of the Year, and Branding. The awards show is followed by a 1664-powered afterparty. It is, in character, the one moment in the week where Helsinki fashion week behaves like a fashion week.
On 30 May, the programme closes with the Evol debut show at Öljysäiliö 468, a former oil tank in Kalasatama. The show, titled Siren, presents work from 13 designers and is described as the beginning of a new era. It is open to the public via ticket.
Details
Dates: 26–30 May 2026 (select events from 19 May)
Location: Across Helsinki — Cable Factory, Amos Rex, Seurasaari, Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Museum of Architecture and Design, and more
Programme and tickets: fashioninhelsinki.com
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