Talent Talks: Saimi Parikka

In her knitwear collection, Saimi Parikka studies themes of ultra-slow fashion, emotional connection to garments, comfort, and connection to nature. She approaches these themes with a strong ‘DIY’ approach - from hand-processed and spun Finnish wool yarns from her uncle’s sheep, to natural dyes and slow handicraft textile techniques, such as crochet.

Could you please introduce yourself? 

Hi, I’m Saimi Parikka. I lived my childhood and teen years in Tampere, Finland, and I have lived in the capital, Helsinki, for 14 years. I worked with vegetarian and raw food for ten years. While working with food, I graduated as a clothing artesan and milliner from a vocational school.

I started in 2019 at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and Master studies in Fashion, Clothing, and Textile Design at Aalto University in 2022. Among the various fields, I have the closest relationship with textile design. Clothes and fashion are the forms I want to bring the textiles alive. I specialise in knitwear, upcycle, and natural dyes.

Having graduated recently, how do you look back on your studies? 

All these schools have been their own different worlds. It has given me an repertorie of experience, skills, and people. Sadly, textile design studies happened during COVID time, and master studies are so independent in its nature that sometimes it has been a challenge to find a sense of community during the studies. But at the end I have always found like-minded people whose support and knowledge have been essential, inspiring, and joyful.

Looking back on all my studies, I realize it has been a long way, and I have learned a lot. Especially at Aalto University I feel I have reached a totally new level with my craft. Studying design is a luxury, and I am very grateful for that. 

Could you please tell us something about your graduation collection/project?

My graduate collection and thesis are built around this idea of ultra-slow fashion. It all started when I sheared sheep at my uncle's farm in Northern Finland and processed this wool into yarn. It was a heartwarming process. The thesis studies the connection to the garment through making - DIY fashion.

The collection is built around themes of grounding working methods, comfort, hand knitting and crocheting, natural dyes, and the joy of making. The brain likes the repetitive and predictable movement of handknitting, which gives serotonin and calms you down. I feel this is a good counterbalance to the overstimulation and hecticness of everyday life. The knits are assembled from smaller pieces, so I could carry the work everywhere I went, like busses, parks, friends places. I aimed to find peace of mind, sustainability, and beauty through this collection. 

Which materials, techniques, programmes and/or applications are you mostly interested in? 

I love making by hand, especially knitting and crocheting. Knitting machines are my friends also. Colors, textures and combining different yarns are my happy place. Working outside in a garden with natural dyes is a luxury. Mostly I use natural fibers. Wool is my favorite, but I use a lot of recycled materials too. Upcycling has been with me since I was a teenager in a clothing artisan school.

The exhibition you are a part of looks into meaning of regeneration. What does regeneration mean to you and your work? 

Regeneration is a value behind everything I do in some form. Working with design is morally hard because often it means producing something new. That is not inspiring for me at all. Implementing anything regenerative to the work makes it easier to find motivation. Overflow of meaningless stuff is suffocating. There is no other way to be a designer than to work towards regenerative practices.

How do you perceive the meaning and importance of community within the fashion field?

Community is a necessity for me. I love making and sharing with people. I enjoy working more when I have the right partner or people around who to talk with. I stress a lot less when it is possible to share thoughts or projects with someone. It is sometimes hard to find a sense of community when working with fashion and design, but this is definitely something I want to continue embracing in the future.

How do you view the future of fashion? And your own role therein? 

My idea of making fashion is to embrace artisanal and craft culture and people's relationship with that. I hope I can work around that somehow. We are as consumers so far from the making and production process that things and their source easily become too distant, meaningless, and hollow. Being part of the making in some form makes things more meaningful, like growing food or mending your favorite sweather.