KOE Fashion Show is an annual event showcasing the talent of upcoming fashion designers from LAB Institute of Design and Fine arts. The fashion show presents twelve upcoming and innovative designers and their graduate collections. The show also features Zero Waste outfits and concept collections of second and third year students.

The collections highlight values ​​such as sustainability and social structures. We at Kalevala were trilled to be apart of this collaboration as these values have always been an important factor in the history of Kalevala Jewelry. We had the honor of being involved in styling three of the spectacular collections. The designers Beda Suni, Liisa Kantokorpi and Nelli Löfberg chose jewelry from four different series – Tundra, Birds of Paradise, Planetoid Valleys and Alluring.

In her thesis Saccharina4000, Beda Suni examines Saccharina Latissima seaweed as a material for wearable design. In designing the collection, she wanted to respect the material and preserve the original aesthetics of seaweed.

She often has a material-oriented approach to the design process. In her thesis collection, she has collected seaweed from the west coast of Norway. She managed to create a believable material from seaweed for making clothes and wants to get to know the material even better in the future.

In her thesis, Liisa Kantokorpi deals with unisex clothes and their possibilities in the future. The thesis is based on a collaborative workshop organized as part of the planning process. The goal of the work is to understand how unisex design is approached from a feminine perspective.

Kantokorvi's thesis collection FEMININE SPACE mainly combines handmade knitwear and prints that show the designer's unique and recognizable handprint. The collection is inspired by science fiction, where unisex clothing has been featured since the 1960s. The designer himself calls the collection sci-fi fans' interpretation of commercial unisex clothes.

Nelli Löfberg's thesis examines whether mugwort is suitable as a natural textile material. The idea started when he noticed that nettle and mugwort plants look similar and wondered if anyone had tried to make a textile from mugwort. Mugwort is a weed that does not have a good reputation for its allergenic properties.

The main fabric of his collection MUGWORTH IT is linen, because linen is the closest thing to a commercially available textile fiber. A few smaller pieces of fabric are made from a mix of mug and linen fabric, so she made them herself. The inspiration for the cuts, lines and textures of the collection comes from the grape plant and its appearance.

Sustainability and social structures, which served as a theme of the collections in KOE Fashion Show, have always been at the core of Kalevala's operations. Our jewelry is designed and made to be used. We are against throwaway culture, and our goal is to make jewelry that stands the test of time. We want to curb climate change by minimizing our carbon footprint and strengthening the role of the circular economy in jewelry manufacturing.

Our modern workshop in Helsinki is probably one of the cleanest jewelry workshops in the world. To us, responsible jewelry manufacturing means activities that save the environment, respect human rights and promote the well-being of the community. Our jewelry is made of 100% recycled gold and 98% recycled silver. Our workshop operates with solar and wind power and has its own water purification plant, where the water used to make jewelry is purified.