BRAND TO KNOW: AALTO, BETWEEN STREETWEAR AND FEMININITY

A brand to know, for those of you who don’t already, is the Finnish Aalto. But let’s not imagine, straight away, a minimalist or “green” brand, in typical Scandinavian style. On the contrary, Aalto gained a huge success thanks to a style which combines femininity, men’s sartorial cuts and streetwear influences. Founded in 2014 in Paris, by Finnish designer Tuomas Merikoski, the label is famous for its games of contrasts. Simplicity and Scandinavian experimentations are balanced by a touch of French elegance, while raw, urban elements are paired with sartorial cuts. A winning combination, encountering people’s praise thank to its versatility.

Aalto S/S 18

Aalto Spring/Summer 2018

Powerful are also the contrasts defining the new summer collection. For S/S 18, Aalto dove into the most contemporary of the dualisms: the one between the digital world and reality, nature, or better what’s left of it.

From one side, the collection is inspired by the internet and that maze of information the web contains, under the form of symbols, images and logos, popping up everywhere, anytime. This led to putting together colored, funny prints, each one unrelated to the other. The fake logos show slogans like After Nature, Http, Grl Powa 4ever, Equal Virtuality and Flowers of Tolerance. These made-up words, created by a collective of Finnish artists (GRMXXI), appear on basic T-shirts, jumpers and sporty flip-flops.

Aalto S/S 18

On the other side, nature calls powerfully. Not only the “After Nature” logo pushes us to think about the future of our world, which is more and more endangered because of humans’ actions. But accessories too, wink at the environmental issue. Since the shoppers phenomenon made its comeback (think about Balenciaga’s model recalling the famous Ikea’s bag), Aalto decided to present its own version: the Repack Bag. The idea is brilliant and irreverent, because Repack is a Finnish packaging solution for shipping online orders, which can be reused more than once. Aalto personalized the classic yellow packages with colourful adhesives and leather handles. For urban, eccentric, but functional accessories.

Aalto accessories S/S 18

And yet other contrasts can be found in the colors, either metallic or matt, from pink to fuchsia and basic white, black and grey. Long dresses are simple but impactful, combined with sporty bombers. Others are printed with yellow checks, in perfect 30s style, upgraded to a more contemporary look thanks to oversize volumes, a go-to trend for the season. Denim is oversize as well. Jeans and sleeveless denim jackets fit loose. Constriction is over, there is only room for comfortability. For a street- yet feminine style.