The past few years have seen the rise of Finnish illustrators in the world of Finnish design.
The hottest names now include Sanna Annukka, whose colourful work uses Finnish folkloristic themes.
You may have seen her work in products by Marimekko, Mark&Spencer’s and Vogue.
The Amsterdam-based Kustaa Saksi has designed illustrations for Jennifer Lopez’s Justsweet fashion brand and Issey Miyake’s A-Poc, and has worked for brands like Adidas, Microsoft, Diesel and Lacoste.
Designer Lotta Nieminen was selected by Forbes on the “30 under 30” list of young talents. Her clients include Hermès, The New York Times, Volkswagen, Google and Newsweek.
Artist and designer Klaus Haapaniemi has been busy for the past few years.
Best known for his dishware collections Taika (Magic) and Satumetsä (Storytale forest) for Iittala, he also has designed garment prints and furniture, worked in fashion and books, and planned exhibitions and events such as the pop-up restaurant Hel Yes.
Haapaniemi has also designed the visual concept for the opera The cunning little vixen.