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Textile design students were invited to join a project this autumn that challenged them to design pattern and textile collections with six different suggestions for a H&M customer group of their choice, to be included in the 2016 autumn/winter collection.

Miisa Lehto's collection

School of Arts, Design and Architecture textile design students Miisa Lehto, Sandra Virtanen and Terhi Laine were awarded with an internship period this spring in Stockholm at the end of the project. The three winners’ collections were well executed concepts that showed exemplary use of colour and various techniques, among other things. According to the fashion house’s representatives, all participating students showed a high degree of skill in their work.

Terhi Laine's collection

The goal is to find talented pattern designers

H&M provided the students with guidance during this autumn to help them create a unified, commercial collection. There were 18 participating students in the project, of whom three have been selected to receive three-month paid internship periods at the company.

– The project's goal was to build a deeper relationship with Aalto University. H&M wants to use collaboration to support upcoming young textile design students as well as to ensure the quality of our patterns in the future, says H&M representative Maria Olofsgård.
 

Stephanie Gambato & Maria Olofsgård H&M

– It’s important for us to find talented pattern designers, because we create the patterns for our collection in-house with our design process, continues Olofsgård.

– The project gave students a unique opportunity to learn the basics of commercial pattern and collection design from leading professionals in the field, says Maarit Salolainen, Aalto University’s professor for textile design, who was in charge of the project.

Sandra Virtanen presents her collection.

H&M has collaborated with Aalto University for a few years now within the scope of the Design Award project, and this is not the first time it has recruited from the university. Aalto University alumnus, designer Sophie Sälekari is one who has, among others, worked with H&M.

The H&M fashion house has engaged in similar collaborative projects with other leading design schools in Europe, Asia and the USA, such as a denim workwear project with London’s Central Saint Martins and a children’s clothing project with Polimoda in Florence.

Further information:

H&M, Tiina Miettinen, tiina.miettinen@hm.com, +358 9 3434 9531

Aalto University Communications, Saara Koskinen, saara.koskinen@aalto.fi, +358 50 5943422

Photos by Eeva Suorlahti