Cultural guest Teemu Muurimäki has designed top fashion for three decades. During that time, one trend has intensified: gender neutrality.
One of the more exquisite laahu creations was designed by Teemu, 10 years old.
Four decades later, the wise-cracking barbies have turned into real people. Muurimäki, 49, is part of the three-person design team that has created Käärijä’s outfit. Exactly the green cabbage worm bolero that our Eurovision representative will be wearing on stage in Liverpool the day after tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9.
When the boy chose textile work…
– When we learned to speak, I wanted red clothes and Anssi wanted blue. I don’t know if it was because he had always seen that color on someone else, Muurimäki reflects.
Mother had a small sewing room, like a wardrobe. There, Teemu sat on a high stool and watched what mother was doing.
From his mother’s patchwork box, Teemu picked pieces of fabric, which his god-aunt modeled on the old Barbie. When Teemu learned to sew, Barbie’s collection grew with evening dresses and tiny jackets.
In the third grade, Teemu chose textile work. The elementary school teacher in Pori was surprised at the choice: Here was the first male student of his career! And the boy didn’t get it easy, even though he finally got a full ten from the strict teacher.
…and got straight out into the world
Muurimäki belongs to the group for whom the career choice has been clear since childhood. He graduated from the University of Arts and Sciences as a clothing designer in the early 2000s and almost immediately went out into the world to pursue a career.
He has designed clothes in Italy, France and Australia for top fashion houses such as Dolce
The image of the international fashion world is brutal, and Muurimäki’s experiences are not the easiest either.
In French and Italian top houses, the working atmosphere is different from what we are used to. In them, the work culture is based on a strict hierarchy, and subordinates may even be shouted at.
Muurimäki says that he has come across direct racism and sexism. Women are not wanted as designers, and especially not Asians.
– In Paris, I was told to put a photo on my CV that shows that I am a man, and I am not Asian. It’s already quite brutal, says Muurimäki.
At the end thank you stands?
When Muurimäki was working for Armani in Milan, he was unhappy and frustrated. He felt that he couldn’t do what he is in the business for, which is to create clothes.
– Even when we were studying, we were told that now it’s boring, but when you get through this stage, at the end, thank you stands and it’s nice.
Muurimäki was at the top, but it wasn’t nice. He decided to do something about it and first moved to Australia and then back to Finland.
Twin brother Anssi had had his first child and Muurimäki missed his family.
– Anssi was a little bit concerned about the fact that I’m an uncle who appears once a month on Skype as just a face and that we meet twice a year.
Muurimäki also has an older brother and he also had children. In addition, my dear mother lived in Finland.
Work lost its meaning
Another reason for returning was professional independence. Muurimäki longed for meaning in his work.
He had planned ten years in the world and that meant long days at the office. They were responsible for completing the collection.
– It’s an endless squirrel wheel. The collection is made under commercial conditions. When the fashion weeks are approaching, we are working all evenings and weekends. It’s just work, work, work, says Muurimäki.
He wanted something else. He wanted his own studio, independent, changing projects, where he could take his dog Jasper, bought from Australia, with him.
Now Jasper and his host have lived in Finland for the past 11 years. During that time, Muurimäki has been a designer at Marimekko and Turo. He has made wedding dresses, evening dresses, men’s suits. Many of them have been seen at Linna’s parties.
Muurimäki also has its own clothing brand Formal Friday. In addition, he has designed costumes for contemporary dance performances, musicals and opera. He has expanded his scale and that is exactly what he was looking for.
Gender roles are being broken around the world
22 years of career behind him. During that time, a significant change has taken place in the industry: traditional gender roles in clothing have begun to be broken and gender neutrality has begun to rear its head.
Seven years ago, Muurimäki was in the Paris Fashion Week showroom with his own clothing brand. In the same department there were corseted evening dresses, high heels and lace-up sandals – for men.
– It took me a day before I realized that there was men’s fashion on display. Young British designers had made really avant-garde outfits.
According to Muurimäki, the world plans much more boldly than we do.
We’re not quite that far. When Muurimäki made subtle changes to Turo’s collection of men’s suits, rounded the edge of a normally angular jacket, chose a shade that was not the one that sells the most in Suomen Sokok, the reaction was: \”Are you sure? This is really special\”.
The pink tailcoat shook Linna’s party
Muurimäki had set out to break rigid etiquette with style. The idea was to make the most festive men’s suit, the tailcoat, and change only one element: the color.
– The media raffleily reported that: \”Terrible etiquette mistake\”. However, Finns commented on social media that it was great.
– There were two of my suits in the castle. One for a man and one for a woman. Both wore pink from head to toe, but the man was considered breaking etiquette and the woman’s suit was perfectly acceptable, Muurimäki wonders.
Muurimäki thinks that a woman could easily wear a men’s tailcoat at Linna’s party, but an evening suit over a man would not be accepted – yet.
– This is such a path that if men’s tailcoats are broken with color now, I’m sure that in a couple of years there will already be a man in a flowing silk evening dress or a corset dress.
How to create a hit?
Käärijä’s green cabbage worm bolero grew into a phenomenon that began to take on a life of its own. It disappeared once, was found, was raised to the roof of the ice rink and inspired people to do handicrafts.
When planning, you never know when a hit will emerge. Muurimäki says that he has often wrestled with financial people who analyze sales reports about what is the equation of success: is it a certain color, material or model.
– A hit does not come from certain elements. It is at the heart of the design that it creates an unprecedented equation, that there is some spirit in it that stirs or touches.
In the case of Käärijä, all the elements fell into place, and Muurimäki feels great.
At the same time, the designer emphasizes that in the case of the green bolero, the phenomenon would not exist without the \”luminous and captivating\” Käärijä.
The designer is still in two stages of how he plans to look at his vision. Friends have invited to the cottage. A large group of people are going there.
– Whenever there are programs on TV with my own stuff, I usually watch them alone at home. I want to focus and I can’t stand pats on the back. Maybe it could be done this time, Muurimäki thought.
And what is the date, when the results predictions are already ready:
– Of course, the wrapper wins. I have to believe in our Jere with all my heart and soul.
What thoughts did the article evoke? The discussion is open until Monday evening.