Hive Exclusive: Tiia Vanhatapio, Finland's Fashion Star

Stylehive got the chance to chat with Tiia Vanhatapio, one of Finland's hottest designers - and first rockabilly singers!

Known for her unusual pairing of streetwise fashion references with nods to vintage couture, we couldn't think of a better authority to tell us what's hot in Finnish fashion right now.

Read on to find out what inspires her glamorous womenswear line and her striking baby collection, and see why celebrities such as Dita Von Teese are lining up to wear this hot new label!

Also, be sure to check out our SLIDESHOW of Tiia Vanhatapio's Spring/Summer 2008 collection.

Stylehive: At what age did you realize you wanted to be a designer?

Tiia Vanhatapio: My mother is a graphic designer and my father was a painter. I told my parents at the tender age of 6 that there were two options for me: either an archaeologist or a graphic/fashion designer. Professionally, as a design entrepreneur I€™ve been doing this ever since I graduated with my Masters in the spring of 2005 from the University of Art and Design, Helsinki. But you could say I€™ve been doing visual and design related jobs whole my life.

SH: You have two lines: Tiia Vanhatapio is your womenswear line, and Quelle Jolie Bébé! is your baby apparel line. Have you always designed baby clothes?

TV: Both the brands were a part of my thesis work, as was the whole idea of how to establish a sustainable design company carrying two lines. Functionality and €œuser interface€� mean a lot to me and are an important part of my design philosophy in both brands. I tend to observe the world around me with a keen eye and if something stays status quo then that makes me wonder why that is. Like, for example baby clothes. The colors they use have stayed pretty much the same as when the first baby gyro was introduced in the 50s. Pastel colors tend to €œwash€� the persona of the baby away. Not so if you use bright and graphic basic colors like black, white, yellow, and red. I was raised with bold colors myself. They €œframe€� the baby, and black even makes the tiny toddler cuter.

SH: What sets Finnish fashion apart from the rest of Europe?

TV: Finnish fashion design does not really have a reputation yet but it leans towards to the solid Scandinavian design reputation. Finnish design in general has always been known for its clean architectural lines, pure and clear, very postmodernist. But that was in the past. Now I guess a particular Finnish fashion design style has emerged that combines Finnish and Slavic influences creating something offbeat and slightly somber. We have been on the outskirts of Scandinavia between the west, Sweden and the east, Russia. So you could say we, the new breed of designers, are a melting pot of influences. Each of us have our own distinctive style. Mine is Couture Noir, a mixture of vintage and modern, but with an erotic, assertive attitude.

Us Finns are so aware of the legacy of the great designers such as Eero Saarinen, Alvar Aalto, Eero Aarnio that we might want to dwell on the past €œachieved laurels.€� We need to distance ourselves from the tradition to go forward.

There's more from Tiia! Click below to read more of the interview...