Vepsäläinen describes herself as a proper small-town kid who never dreamed of an international fashion or design career. An Erasmus exchange, while studying at the Institute of Design, led her to the Royal College of Art in London. An eye-opener.
— Not only because I could study or work abroad, but because I found knitwear. One thing leads to another, and all of a sudden, you realise that 15 years have gone by.
These years include working as a knitwear designer at JW Anderson where Vepsäläinen created Harry Styles’ favourite sweater that went viral when TikTokers started knitting their own during Covid — ”I didn’t even know what TikTok was at the time”. It’s now part of the Victorian Albert Museum’s permanent collection. A year and a half ago, she was appointed Iittala’s new Creative Director.
— What brought me into the knitwear field of design was that I love working with traditional techniques and methods and trying to create something completely new with it. That’s very much at the core of what I also intend to do with glass and with Iittala, she explains.
Can you take us through from the day you were appointed until where you are today? What has it been like?
— The key moment was that first visit to the factory — six months before joining — which was the start of a journey for me. It’s a big project for sure, a brand with a huge history, and, together with our internal teams, we work very collaboratively inside the house. We want to utilise our internal resources as much as possible instead of external. It’s important for me that we continue the collaboration between different stakeholders.
— To me, life and design is an active process. You never stop. You’re never satisfied. That’s the ’tragedy’ of being creative; you always find room for improvement and always think about the next idea.
Half a year ago saw the unveiling of your major rebranding. What has been the most important part when modernising the band?
— Giving proper air time for the capabilities, the craft, the history, and the heritage, making sure that we deliver experiences and communication to our audience that feels relevant to this day. I’m not afraid of change — it’s an inevitable part of life. We all live in evolution and this brand renewal is an evolution, not a revolution. It’s super important that we stay connected to our roots and our history but we need to make sure that we take it in a way that also is in the current moment and in the times that we live in.
The change of the logo sparked both criticism and excitement. You’ve described the rebranding as key to continuing to ’go global’ as a brand, also becoming relevant for new consumer groups while inspiring the current ones to see you in a new way.
— Yes. I grew up with Iittala. I think it is one of those few brands that, in a sense, go from cradle to grave; we’re the go-to house for presents for graduations, weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. It’s embedded into the Finnish life, Vepsäläinen shares, continuing,
— The key now is to continue with a collaborative approach towards art and culture. I’m a very collaborative designer by nature and we want to strengthen with our craftspeople but also with our audience, other artists, and culture makers and thinkers. To continue emphasising the craft and the importance of it is very important for the creative vision. The third key is to speak to our audience who are interested in the brand. We have a lot of research showing that the younger audience hasn’t fallen in love with the brand yet, so there is certainly more to do there.
— We’ll also of course continue to push the boundaries of innovative design. That’s going nowhere. We’ve always done that, it’s given.
How?
— For us, innovative design means a constant exploration of both new ideas and our rich heritage. We delve into our archives, finding inspiration from our history while always pushing forward to craft something that brings newness with it. It’s not about rushing the process but giving it the time it deserves. As I said, we also believe in bold collaborations; we partner with artists across diverse fields with open minds, creating unexpected experiences and designs.
And how will you work to become even more relevant for the younger audiences?
— To connect with them, we must remain curious, brave, and true to our identity. Our aim is to resonate with their daily lives, supporting their chosen lifestyles by offering experiences that are both new and culturally enriching.
— A great example is our recent launch at Helsinki Design Week. We chose the iconic Helsinki House of Culture, designed by Alvar Aalto in the 1950s, a place that has hosted cultural experiences for decades. Today, it houses a new kind of nightclub experience in the same space — a perfect metaphor for how we combine history with the future. We held an exhibition there with our new collection and ten unique, handmade, and mouth-blown art glass pieces. By doing things like this, we continually show new facets of our brand and connect with our target groups at different levels letting them explore and discover us.
The relaunch met a lot of scepticism in Finland — while now the needle has turned — and the global audience was, in general, quite positive. What does it say about the Finns?
— I think it just tells how dear the brand is to Finns and in Finland. I see it purely as a positive thing that we spark so much emotion in the Finnish audience. We definitely embrace that. This is not the first time that there have been reactions to a rebranding, and it certainly won’t be the last.
What have you learned throughout the process?
— Change is a process, it doesn’t just happen, and a rebranding is very much a journey, with various phases along the way. It’s important to keep sight of your long-term vision while respecting the smaller steps and lessons that come up throughout the process. It’s not a one-time event but a continuous evolution, where we reveal new perspectives on the brand while staying true to its core essence. That balance between honouring the past and embracing the future is crucial in making the journey successful.
— It’s also about exploration. It’s a moving organism, just like any brand is. We have embarked on this journey — we are just in the beginning, and we learn all the time. It’s an imperative part of being a creative, that you continue on a lifelong learning curve.
— Again, I also see collaboration as a key element of success. Brands that partner with artists, designers, or even those in completely different fields can create fresh, unexpected experiences that stand out in a crowded market.
— Moreover, it’s vital for brands to resonate with their audience on multiple levels, not just through the product but also through experiences and culture. Creating meaningful, immersive experiences allows brands to connect emotionally with their audience, making those interactions memorable and impactful.
— These insights — embracing collaboration and crafting experiences — are critical factors for success in the ever-evolving design landscape.
Another critical factor to remaining relevant as a modern brand is to lower your emissions. How do you work there?
— Fiskars Group has ambitious emission reduction targets, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. These targets cover all our brands, including Iittala. We are working to reduce our emissions through, for example, energy efficiency opportunities and low-carbon or carbon-neutral energy sources. One concrete example is our circa €10 million furnace investment at our Iittala glass factory in Finland. This investment will decrease emissions from the factory by 74%. Our target is to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions from own operations by 60% by 2023, from the base year 2017. Compared to the 2017 base year, we have reached a reduction of 54% by Q2 2024. In addition, we have Scope 3 targets, and are committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2049 (the year when Fiskars Group turns 400 years, Ed’s note).
You have experimented with recycled glass for several years and for this fall collection, you’ve made products out of Finnish sand.
— Yes. This is the first time we are trialling it and it’s been a development process for quite some time, exploring what we can do with the resources that we have here. We’ve tested and tried, and I’m super happy with the outcome, that we can deliver these mouth-blown vases made in Finland, from Finnish sand. It’s definitely something that I will continue to explore. We are already thinking about where we could implement it next and what we could make from it. In my opinion, it’s definitely here to stay.
What’s limiting you to producing an entire collection made of local raw materials?
— We work with sand that has a lot of natural elements, so it needs a slightly different process, but there’s not so much stopping us from using it widely. This was our first experience of trying it out and seeing if it has mass-production capabilities. We see very promising results. Since these vases are blown into wooden moulds, they’re all slightly different, since the wooden mould has a certain lifespan. You can only blow into it a certain amount of times and then you need to replace it with a new one. The vases might have slightly different shades of green but we embrace those little imperfections.
What was the most challenging part of working with Finnish sand?
— Compared to the Belgian sand we typically use, the Finnish one has a natural iron content, which gives the glass a green tint. Glassmaking is a highly delicate process, and each step, from the raw materials to the final product, requires meticulous attention. With Finnish sand, we had to explore how it would behave in the mass-production process and whether certain items could even be made from it.
— Different glass colours behave differently, and not all designs are possible with every material. So, when we introduce new raw materials, it involves a lot of research and development. Fortunately, we’ve been very pleased with how our process has worked with Finnish sand so far.
And what are your next steps?
— We will continue to challenge what we can make with glass and continue to deliver experiences to our audience, also in our communication, to create something to be talked about. It’s a constant work in progress.
