Street-Garden-Style. A little chat with Maria Korkeila

by Luca Imbimbo

On the opening day of Pitti Uomo 97, Fiskars, the iconic Finnish lifestyle brand, presented its first venture in fashion with a gender-fluid capsule collection by upcoming designer Maria Korkeila at Palazzo Pucci. A presentation featuring the modern garden-wear collection on a casting of professional and street casted models took place within an installation of hydroponic inspired controlled nature clashing with the 16th-century decor of the palazzo. We met the designer during the event and that’s what she told us.

When and how did your interest for fashion start?

Very early, when I was around 11 years old and I realized that it existed, that there was somebody who designed clothes and then I said: It’s what I want to do and since then I’ve always been interested in items and then I finished high school and here I am, basically. First, I loved the idea of being able to create something on my own that you can actually wear and use.

How would you define your style?

I think my style takes a lot of reference from my own culture, and I also like things created by accident. It’s funny: Sometimes I create things by my hand and I make mistakes and in doing so I create something that looks nice and I develop it.

Who is your ideal customer?

Somebody who loves colours but also comfortable clothes. Anyway, in my collections, I design different clothes for different people.

How was the collaboration with Fiskars born?

It was discussing about presenting the collection in Florence and they were looking for different designers to collaborate with and one it’s me.

How did you succeed in combining your aesthetics with that of Fiskars?

The interesting thing about this project is that it’s for almost a four-hundred-year-old company, which served as immense inspiration does to their rich history but there is also an innocence baggage and this is an amazing opportunity for me. I could create something on my own and I used orange a lot, the iconic color of Fiskars.

What is the key piece of the collection?

It’s the cordon-jacket: it is multi-purposed so you can transform it as you want.

What is really FUCKING YOUNG for you?

I think that the younger generation now is very progressive. They know what they want and what the world needs and they pursue it, which is something I respect.