Five entries were shortlisted for the final stage of this year's competition. The competition's May Day theme invited entrants to come up with imaginative designs for objects and structures associated with summer day trips and picnics. The designers were asked to evoke functionality, aesthetic beauty, and fun times with friends and family in their designs.

Jointly organised by the Messukeskus Expo and Convention Centre and Aalto University, the design competition is now in its thirteenth year. This year's head judge was the French architect, Emmanuelle Moureaux.

The judging panel paid particular attention to the artistic, architectural, and design quality of the entries, their functionality and structural elements, and their overall durability and coherence.

Emanuelle Moureaux considered Laura Tourila's entry, Pilvi, which was made from tens of white plastic bags, to be reminiscent of clouds moving through the sky. With its weightless and poetic structure, light filters through Pilvi's air-filled balloons onto the floorspace below.

At the heart of Johanna Brummer and Heini-Emilia Saari's Viivy lies the interplay between light and shade. The design is a picnic blanket that draws energy from the sunlight capturing the shadows of the picnic party and prolonging the evening by emitting a beautiful glow after sunset.

A total of 66 entries were submitted for this year's Habitare design competition. In addition to Pilvi and Viivy, the final was contested by the eventual winner, Havina (Samuli Helavuo, Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts), and two other pieces from Aalto University's School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Keinu by Krista Meskanen, Satu Niemi and Annimaija Tarkkanen and Paletti by Saara Inkeri Heikkilä).

The Habitare design competition has a new theme and chief judge every year. In recent years, the themes have been Dreamspace (2013/winner Elina Ulvio),A Private Space (2012/winner Leo Lindroos), Outhouse (2011/winner Yoshimasa Yamada), Recycled Seat (2010/winners Arttu Kuisma and Janne Melajoki) and Sauna (2009/winners Ville Hara and Anu Puustinen). Previous head judges include Boris Berlin, Mikko Heikkinen, Alfredo Häberli, Sami Rintala, and Juha Leiviskä.

Further information:
Timo Sairi, Competition Secretary, Aalto University, tel.  +358 040 582 6505, timo.sairi@aalto.fi

In the Habitus Baltija contest held in April in Latvia, student Anna Alanko won the Grand Prix prize for best designer with her master’s thesis-based collection. Ms Alanko and bachelor’s programme student Antti Peltoniemi jointly won the best fashion school award for the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture as well. A total of 53 young fashion designers from 12 countries participated in the competition.

Ilona Hackenberg, studying for her master’s degree, ranked third in the Apolda European Design Award 2014 contest which took place in April in Germany. Arranged for the eighth time, participation in the competition reached a total of 32 entries from 16 European schools in ten nations. Well-respected European fashion schools were invited to take part in the event, and its goal is to support and encourage promising young European designers.

Sophie Sälekari, working towards her bachelor’s degree, likewise finished amongst the group of eight finalists at the H&M Design Award competition arranged by the retail clothing giant in London. All in the group came from internationally renowned fashion schools. Aged 22, Ms Sälekari was also the youngest finalist. An overall total of 32 fashion schools took part in the contest from both Europe and the United States. Finland and Aalto University were included in the invitation for the first time. Launched in 2012, the target of the competition is to support the creativity of young designers and to encourage them to build a career in the fashion world.

‘The world’s leading companies and top-level media in design have discovered our promising young candidates. Leading international fashion firms are asking for more information about our students and will be coming to our spring fashion show with recruiting in mind as well. We are proud of our successful young people and the fact that our school is also gaining more recognition at the same time,’  says a delighted Pirjo Hirvonen, who is head of the Department of Design.

Put Näytös14 into your calendar!

The new collections designed by the students in the Degree Programme in Fashion and Collection Design at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture shall be presented to the audience attending the Näytös14 Fashion Show on Friday, 23 May 2013 at 18.00h in Suvilahti (Kattilahalli). The International Aalto ARTS Fashion Seminar, accompanied by celebrity guests, will be held the day before, on 22 May.

For further information, contact:

- Head of Department, Professor  (fashion design) Pirjo Hirvonen, Aalto University’s Department of Design,+358 (0)50 3636 011, pirjo.hirvonen@aalto.fi

- Näytös14: Tuomas Laitinen, Lecturer (collection design and costume art), Aalto University’s Department of Design,+358 (0)9 470 30357, +358 (0)40 9526 024, tuomas.p.laitinen@aalto.fi

- Habitus Baltija competition: bt1.lv/habitus/?link=10100020&subid=3798, video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2TmCGoAXY&feature=youtu.be

- Apolda European Design Award 2014: http://www.apolda-design-award.de/index.php/en/news/108-aktuelles-eng/268-the-award-winners-2014-more

- H&M Design Award Competition: hm.com/press

In the frame of the European Commission Culture Programme 2007-2013, the City of Venice obtained financing by the European Commission for the implementation of the project “EGE - European Glass Experience”. The project aims at giving to glass a full acknowledgement in contemporary art and at fostering its value as an intangible cultural heritage of Europeans. The selected works will be exhibited in a touring exhibition in Finland, Spain and Venice in spring 2014 and summer 2015.

Finland alongside the Czech Republic was most successful in the competition. Young glass artists (18–40 years) from 22 European countries participated in the competition. A total of 40 works representing 17 countries were selected in the exhibitions. In addition, the international jury selected 38 drawings, of which Murano glass masters will realize works for the final exhibition in Venice. A proud number of 13 Finnish glass artists were selected in the project.

The first exhibition "The European Glass Experience: Undiscovered Potential - Eurooppalaisen lasitaiteen nuoria lupauksia " is held at the Finnish Glass Museum March 28 to June 8, 2014.

 More information:
http://egeglass.eu/
http://www.finnishglassmuseum.fi

Master's students Ilmari Mansikkamäki (industrial and strategic design), Emmi Pouta (textile art and design) and Jenni Simanainen (fashion and clothing design) won the Safety & Technical Products Student Design Challenge competition.

The winning product was a riding suit with an integrated chest protector, designed for motorcyclists. The work was implemented as a year-long project in collaboration with the Rukka brand.

The project required that the students have extensive knowledge of the field, including the newest materials and techniques, such as 3D printing, and background information about consequences of accidents and medical approaches. A large part of the time allocated for the project was taken up by research work.

Combining the form with everything that had been observed was a demanding and difficult process. Trade fairs and other activities gave students the required understanding of the significance of the field. The project was supervised by Jasmiine Julin-Aro, Professor of Functional Design and Materials at the Department of Design. Winning the competition is an impressive indication of the students' capabilities and teamwork.

The Safety & Technical Products Student Design Challenge is a prestigious and international design competition. The prizes will be given out in Orlando, Florida in the USA on October 23 - 25. The students will be there to receive the prize and to introduce themselves to the US media and stakeholder groups.

The inspiration for Maaranen's Garment in Landscape collection was landscape and its artistic interpretation. In addition, the prize includes EUR 3 000 from the Ra concept store and a collection to be produced in cooperation with Petit Bateau. The top fashion houses are interested in Maaranen and her collection.

The judges were unanimous in their view that Satu Maaranen’s collection was superior. They were also unanimous in their decision of the winner.

-Satu Maaranen’s work with the material that she uses completely convinced us. Her use of colours is also strong, said Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the head of the panel of judges.      

-Aalto University has made it to the top tier of the most internationally interesting fashion schools! Aalto University is the first school whose students have won this competition in two consecutive years. Our success is the result of persevering and goal-oriented teaching and development of education. We give our students creative freedom, support, and encouragement, but much is also demanded of them, says Professor Pirjo Hirvonen, Head of the Department of Design.

One of the most prestigious competitions in the field

The event, which has been held at the famous Villa Noailles in Hyères on the French Riviera already since the early 1980s, is considered one of the world's most prestigious competitions in the field. The contest is organised by the same producers and casting directors who are behind shows put on by large fashion houses such as Chanel and Balenciaga at Paris Fashion Week.

Each year the panels of judges in the competition are composed of some of the most influential international figures in the fashion business. The works in the competition were showcased on three different days in three different shows to fashion professionals, experts, and the public at large.

The competition has served as a springboard for many international names in design, such as Viktor & Rolf, the main designer of Thierry Mulger Romain Kremer, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, and Henrik Vibskov.

Satu Maaranen was chosen as one of the ten finalists from among 355 entries. The 28e Festival International de Mode & de Photographie Hyères 2013 took place on 26-29 April 2013 in Villa Noilles, France.

First prize in 2012 to Finnish Aalto University as well

In 2012, three young clothing design students from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture won the main prize at the Hyères Fashion Festival. At that time second-year students Siiri Raasakka, Tiia Sirén and Elina Laitinen won the Grand Prix for their men's fashion collection, whose fundamental idea was an imaginary urban tribe of nomads. Now the three had been invited to display a collection that they had been working on in the past year called “The Voice of Unheard”, which the head of the festival Jean-Pierre Blanc said was “full of creative energy” and ready for commercialisation. The collection will be displayed again at the Paris Men’s Fashion Week in the summer of 2013

Winning collection at Näytös13 show

Satu Maaranen's collection will be included in the Näytös13 show on 24 May 2013 at 18:00 in Suvilahti, Helsinki, Finland The show, which is organised each spring, showcases to the public the new collections designed by students who are graduating from the school's Degree Programme in Fashion and Clothing Design.

Further information
Aalto University
School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Tuomas Laitinen, Lecturer, tel. +358 40 952 6024
Anne Tapanainen, Communications Manager tel. +358 50 434 7911

Hyères Fashion Festival competition website
www.villanoailles-hyeres.com/hyeres2013

www.satumaaranen.com

The judges were unanimous in their view that Satu Maaranen’s collection was superior. They were also unanimous in their decision of the winner.

-Satu Maaranen’s work with the material that she uses completely convinced us. Her use of colours is also strong, said Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the head of the panel of judges.      

-Aalto University has made it to the top tier of the most internationally interesting fashion schools! Aalto University is the first school whose students have won this competition in two consecutive years. Our success is the result of persevering and goal-oriented teaching and development of education. We give our students creative freedom, support, and encouragement, but much is also demanded of them, says Professor Pirjo Hirvonen, Head of the Department of Design.

One of the most prestigious competitions in the field

The event, which has been held at the famous Villa Noailles in Hyères on the French Riviera already since the early 1980s, is considered one of the world's most prestigious competitions in the field. The contest is organised by the same producers and casting directors who are behind shows put on by large fashion houses such as Chanel and Balenciaga at Paris Fashion Week.

Each year the panels of judges in the competition are composed of some of the most influential international figures in the fashion business. The works in the competition were showcased on three different days in three different shows to fashion professionals, experts, and the public at large.

The competition has served as a springboard for many international names in design, such as Viktor & Rolf, the main designer of Thierry Mulger Romain Kremer, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, and Henrik Vibskov.

Satu Maaranen was chosen as one of the ten finalists from among 355 entries. The 28e Festival International de Mode & de Photographie Hyères 2013 took place on 26-29 April 2013 in Villa Noilles, France.

First prize in 2012 to Finnish Aalto University as well

In 2012, three young clothing design students from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture won the main prize at the Hyères Fashion Festival. At that time second-year students Siiri Raasakka, Tiia Sirén and Elina Laitinen won the Grand Prix for their men's fashion collection, whose fundamental idea was an imaginary urban tribe of nomads. Now the three had been invited to display a collection that they had been working on in the past year called “The Voice of Unheard”, which the head of the festival Jean-Pierre Blanc said was “full of creative energy” and ready for commercialisation. The collection will be displayed again at the Paris Men’s Fashion Week in the summer of 2013

Winning collection at Näytös13 show

Satu Maaranen's collection will be included in the Näytös13 show on 24 May 2013 at 18:00 in Suvilahti, Helsinki, Finland The show, which is organised each spring, showcases to the public the new collections designed by students who are graduating from the school's Degree Programme in Fashion and Clothing Design.

Further information
Aalto University
School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Tuomas Laitinen, Lecturer, tel. +358 40 952 6024
Anne Tapanainen, Communications Manager tel. +358 50 434 7911

Hyères Fashion Festival competition website
www.villanoailles-hyeres.com/hyeres2013

www.satumaaranen.com

Students Sophie Sälekari and Hanna-Maaria Sinkkonen, third-year students at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, came in second place in the competition last weekend with their men's clothing collection.

The two took part in the competition with their selected outfit ensembles, including the men's collections that they had compiled for last spring's Näytös XII show.

‘A very innovative men's collection, wonderfully combining Scandinavian colours with African style patterns’, the judges said. 

Designer's Nest is one of the most prestigious competitions for students of fashion and clothing design in the Nordic Countries. The competition, which takes place twice a year, was first held in February 2005.

Students of fashion and clothing design at the School of Arts, Design, and Architecture have been successful at the Designer's Next competition before. Students at the school have been awarded medals in the competition since 2006. Most recently, the competition was won by Satu Maaranen in 2010.

Jasmiine Julin-Aro founded her own design office, Studio Dimensio, in 1985 and since then she has worked as a freelance designer for several clothing companies in Finland. Her special field is functional outfits for motorcyclists, skiers and sailing enthusiasts, among other groups. In the design of these products, she has boldly applied the results of research in the field and innovations in materials. Many products by her have been awarded design prizes both in Finland and internationally.

Jasmiine Julin-Aro is a prominent and experienced designer in clothing design, an interesting and promising sector of design. The prize jury especially commended her role as an advocate of the Finnish clothing industry and its strengths. Through her work, Jasmiine Julin-Aro has significantly contributed to the success of her client companies at a time when the industry has encountered serious challenges.

The Kaj Franck Design Prize of Design Forum Finland is now awarded for the 21st time. The purpose of this prize, established in 1992 and named after the esteemed Finnish designer Kaj Franck (1911–89), is to support a designer or team innovatively designing industrially made products of high quality, operating actively in the field of applied art and also creating unique works. The winners of the prize represent many areas of top Finnish design. The prize sum of €10,000 is donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation. The prize also includes a medal designed by Tapio Junno and an exhibition, with accompanying publications, presenting the prizewinner’s oeuvre.

The members of the prize jury of 2012 were Pentti Kivinen / Finnish Fair Foundation; designer, Professor Heikki Orvola; designer, Artist Professor Hannu Kähönen; designer Terhi Tuominen, and CEO Mikko Kalhama / Design Forum Finland.

Eight honorary doctorates will be awarded at the ceremony to the following persons: Laurie Anderson, multimedia artist from the United States; Rachel Cooper, Professor of Design Management from the United Kingdom; Arunas Gelunas, Minister of Culture from Lithuania; Pirjo Honkasalo, a director, screenwriter and cinematographer; author and artist Mauri Kunnas; Olavi Linden, Director, R&D, and Chief Designer at Fiskars; Ezio Manzini, Professor of Design from Italy, and Professor Emeritus Yrjö Sotamaa.

Laurie Anderson (b. 1947) is one of the world’s leading multimedia artists and a pioneer in the use of technology in art. She is known for imposing work that combines different media. Anderson’s accomplishments are pioneering also in the area of experimental music. Her work has been displayed at the Guggenheim Museum SoHo and at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, among other places. Anderson has received several different types of recognition and awards, including the 2007 Gish Prize as well as grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA. She has also published six books.

Rachel Cooper (b. 1953) has been among the central actors and proponents of European research and education in the field of design for a number of decades. Much of her work has been conducted in collaboration with the European Academy of Design founded by her and through her position as the editor of The Design Journal. She has had a close relationship with the School of Arts, Design and Architecture for many years. Rachel Cooper is Professor of Design Management at the University of Lancaster, where she is Chair of Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, co-Director of ImaginationLancaster and co-Director of HighWire. She has produced a large number of publications, with The Handbook of Design Management (Berg 2011) as the most recent one.

Arūnas Gelūnas (b.1968) has been a central actor in developing cooperation between Baltic and Nordic art schools. He has acted as professor at the Vilnius Academy of Arts and as visiting professor at a number of different universities in both Lithuania and abroad and authored several scientific publications. He has been involved in the BaltArt network organised by the School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Art Education) since its inception. Arūnas Gelūnas is also a graphic designer and an artist who has received several awards and held numerous exhibitions. In July 2010 Arūnas Gelūnas was appointed Minister of Culture of Lithuania. His recent activities have included promoting an initiative to establish the Arts Council of Lithuania according to the Finnish and Scandinavian model.

Pirjo Honkasalo (b. 1947) has been a director, screenwriter and cinematographer of documentary and fictional films for more than 30 years. In 2004, Pirjo Honkasalo was granted the Aho & Soldan Lifetime Achievement Award. Pirjo Honkasalo acted as Artist Professor, a form of grant awarded by the National Council for Cinema, between 2001 and 2006. In 2006, Honkasalo was given the Pro Finlandia medal. Her films have received several awards both in Finland and in international film festivals. Honkasalo graduated from the Department of Cinematography at the University of Art and Design in 1969 and she has been honorary member of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture since 2006.

Mauri Kunnas’s (b. 1950) children’s books have been published in 28 languages in 32 countries. Kunnas’s vast production of artistically uncompromising books that are immensely rich in content can be said to constitute true popular enlightenment and have, among other things, brought Finnish folklore and history within the reach of children. He has received several awards, including the Puupäähattu prize of the Finnish Comics Society, the State Award for Children's Culture, the Rudolf Koivu prize and the Pro Finlandia medal.  Kunnas was granted an award for his work to benefit children and most recently the Cultural prize of the City of Espoo in 2011. Kunnas graduated as graphic designer from the University of Art and Design in 1975.

Olavi Lindén (b. 1946) is best-known for his long and successful career as chief designer and director of research and development at the consumer products company Fiskars. Through his work in the area of design and product development, carried out at the Fiskars corporation throughout several decades, Lindén has impacted the development of both the usability and the aesthetic qualities of garden tools in particular. In addition to Fiskars tools, Olavi Lindén has also designed musical instruments. He has received several awards for his work, most recently the Muoto 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award by Aller Media.  He is also honorary member of the Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo since 2011. Lindén graduated as engineer from Tekniska Läroverket.

Ezio Manzini (b 1945) has been working for more than two decades in the field of design for sustainability, with a special focus on social innovation. On this topic he started, and currently coordinates, DESIS: an international network promoting, worldwide, design schools as agents of social change towards sustainability. Throughout his professional life Ezio Manzini has been professor of design at the Politecnico di Milano. Parallel to this, he collaborated with several international universities. Currently, he is Honorary Guest Professor at the Tongji University, in Shanghai and at the Jiangnan University, in Wuxi, China as well as at the COPPE-UFRJ, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The most recent award granted to Manzini is the Sir Misha Black Medal in 2012.

Yrjö Sotamaa (b. 1942) is Professor Emeritus at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. Currently, Sotamaa is Executive Vice Director of the Sino-Finnish Centre at Tongji University, one of Aalto University’s partner universities, and Professor and Advisory Dean at the same university. When acting as Rector of the University of Art and Design from 1968 to 2008, he was a strong supporter of research and doctoral education that was being launched at the university. It is clear that without his persistent support and encouragement at the level of university management, the school’s current leadership position in research in the field of art and design would not be possible. Sotamaa has been honorary member of the Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo since 1992, and he was granted the Magnolia Silver Award by the City of Shanghai in 2011.

An honorary doctorate is the highest honour that a university can award. The decision concerning the recipients of the honorary doctorates to be awarded at the 2013 Ceremonial Conferment of Degrees at the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture was made by the school's Academic Affairs Committee. According to the Aalto University’s administrative guidelines, a school may, in connection with a Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees but also at other times, award an honorary doctorate and related academic insignia to a person who through his or her scientific or artistic activities or through merits obtained in the promotion of science or arts or other cultural activities is considered worthy of such recognition.

Further information:

Ada Schwanck, Project Coordinator tel. +358 (0)50 5697 449, ada.schwanck@aalto.fi

Saara Koskinen, Communications Officer, tel. +358 (0)50 5943 422, saara.koskinen@aalto.fi