With the explosive rise, interview requests rained down and the phone rang constantly, but the leveling off of the rise caused strange sensations, the designer recalls now.
Mäkelä is especially known for its crocheted hats. Crocheting came naturally in craft classes in elementary school.
– I learned to crochet, and I was hooked, she says.
Mäkelä has been crocheting for 17 years, with the exception of a break of a couple of years. He still remembers his first job in elementary school.
– It was a very unsuccessful green beanie full of holes.
Mäkelä does his handiwork in Helsinki’s Mestaritalo on Pursimiehenkatu in a studio that he shares with a few other artists.
The office is very important.
– For me, the interior and the feeling are very important.
The hat found its way onto Madonna’s head
He does not tell about the \”money political\” details, i.e. how much the singer paid for the headdress.
Mäkelä estimates that the reason why headgear has spread to world-famous singers and actors in the first place is largely due to social media.
*–* Someone posts a picture of something I did. It starts to spread: people get interested, then the next person posts and it becomes a certain kind of continuum, he describes.
– The classic social media phenomenon followed, where for one day everyone is very interested in you and after a week maybe not so interested anymore.
After the explosive rise, interview requests poured in and the phone kept ringing. According to Mäkelä, the leveling off of the ascent evoked strange sensations. Dopamines come in bursts, but they fall just as fast.
– Everything happened so quickly that it also affects the psyche. You just have to stay calm and go about your business.
Taavi Mäkelä says that the traditional approach is an important part of his work.
– I try to bring out traditional patterns in my work, maybe by manipulating them a little. I combine them with really flashy color combinations.