Last season Aalto University graduate Tuuli-Tytti Koivula presented her graduate thesis during CPHFW as part of the Alpha talent program; she took home the big prize with her collection, named Blumental. The designer’s goal, as she explained on a recent call, was to conjure “flowers blooming through the snow,” a reminder of summer during the long Finnish winters perhaps. “It’s a romantic idea,” notes Koivula, whose bags, stuffed with sustainable wool wadding, are made using her hand-designed prints and finished with crochet and embroidery.
Helsinki-based stylist Aino Collin was photographed outside the shows carrying the statement bag. Having promised to take good care of this mega bloom, she arrived in Copenhagen to find that the weather was “surprisingly even worse than in Helsinki,” forcing her to change her outfit plans. Having gone through the trouble of finding a carry-on bag big enough for the flight, she decided it was worth the risk when the rain stopped for a while. She credits the bag for helping her get into her favorite designer’s show despite not having an invitation. “Apparently wearing an XXL flower bag and Elton John–vibe Gucci glasses gives you a magical amount of self-confidence.”
Tuuli-Tytti Koivula’s flower bags are available to order.
The Sophie Bag by Cecilie Bahnsen
There’s a sense of magical realism to everything that Ellen Hodakova Larsson does at her namesake label. This Swede, who has made earrings out of underwires and minis from watches, is best known for her belt bags, which are manifestations of her motto: “Converted goods. The tempo of time.” Woven belt bags featuring a panoply of buckles date to the founding of the brand in 2021; earlier this year Larsson was invited by Gucci Continuum to collaborate with the brand and create her signature bag using the Italian brand’s ceintures. Meanwhile, Larsson stacks belts rather than working them in a plain weave for the new Triangle bag. “It’s a minimalistic development of the iconic Hodakova buckle belt bag,” she writes. “The Triangle is a symbol of your consciousness and expresses that strong foundation of the brand.”
