Helsinki, IVANAhelsinki Showroom on Fri 28 September 2007 at 10.34 am – 4 days prior the show

Four large horizontal bars of fashion show outfits are standing at IVANAhelsinki’s showroom in Helsinki. Majority of supplies needed in the fashion show – PR bags, decorations, hangers and other materials – have already been sent to Paris and waiting at the carriers’ storehouse.

Only the clothes and shoes are still in Helsinki, and will be transported to Paris with the people travelling there for the fashion show – this makes the threat of loosing outfits needed in the catwalk much smaller than if the outfits were sent to Paris in a single container. “The last outfits will be finished today”, says Pirjo Suhonen, the marketing manager of IVANAhelsinki. “Press cards will be finished tonight, and we have to pack them tomorrow – all 500 of them”, she smiles.

Altogether 3.300 bambi-shaped fashion show invitations were sent – 3.000 to IVANAhelsinki’s Parisian PR agency, 300 to Finland. “The PR agency has invited media and buyers, but also stylists, art people, musicians and other final users of IVANAhelsinki. I am still sending email invitations in proportion as I receive invitation requests from the PR agency.”

Paris, Charles-de-Gaulle airport on Sun 30 September 2007 at 9.55 am – 2 days prior the show

The fashion show outfits have started to arrive at warm and moist Paris in suitcases of Suhonen family members, friends and the fashion show team. Fashion designer Jarno Viitala arrives at Paris early in the morning – his dark blue suitcase and hand luggage are overflowing with shoes of IVANAhelsinki’s fashion show. All the 20 models for the fashion show will come to Paris on Monday, one day prior to the show.

Paris, Hotel Ritz on Tue 2 October 2007 at 8.07 pm – 1 hour prior to the show

There is a 21-meter-long brilliant white catwalk in the middle of Grand Salon of the luxury hotel Ritz. The models will come down two stairs to the catwalk.

There has been a fashion show of a French label in the morning, so the time to build the catwalk has been short. However, everything is ready and the blue and white PR bags of IVANAhelsinki are colouring the 350 seats of the salon.

The models are ready – their strong, turquoise make up and tight false pony tails are only being finished before stepping to the catwalk. The backstage, situated in the second floor, is surprisingly tranquil despite the photographers, assistants finishing the outfits and 20 models waiting to get down to the catwalk.

“It’s been quite a day, but everything is fine now. The team has been awesome”, praises the designer Paola Suhonen and sprays hairspray to her nearly bluish white hair. The final finishing touches prior to the show.

Also the Grand Salon is still tranquil – only the first photographers have arrived. The show is said to begin at 8.30 pm. Jean-Paul Gaultier’s fashion show has begun elsewhere in Paris at 7 pm, Veronique Branquinho’s show at 8 pm. The shows are always late – will the media people find time to come to a debutante’s fashion show?

Paris, Hotel Ritz on Tue 2 October 2007 at 9 pm – It’s show time

The show should have begun half an hour ago, but people still come flooding in. Most of them are French, but there are also some Finnish editors, photographers and designer colleagues, such as Hanna Sarén, Teemu Muurimäki, Jarno Viitala and Tiia Vanhatapio.

Dozens of photographers are waiting on their own platform in front of the catwalk. Melancholic old Finnish pop songs are reaching the audience’s ears despite the hum of conversation.

The show begins at 9.06 pm. The twenty-minute-long show is a success. The show goes on rapidly and ends with a bow of Paola Suhonen and a thunderous applause.

The audience is dripping down the fashion show venue, the models are posing to the photographers, editors and cameras are surrounding Paola Suhonen and other Finnish designers in the audience.

Paris, Hotel Ritz on Tue 2 October 2007 at 9.58 pm

The rest of the audience is flushed out from the luxurious Grand Salon. Also the white catwalk and see-through, plastic chairs are going out the side door. The space will soon been empty – the show is over.

The team, models, the Suhonen family and friends are going out for a dinner in a restaurant nearby to celebrate the successful fashion show. Night life of Paris is calling.

Helsinki on Wed 10 October 2007 at 12.41 pm – 1 week after the show

Paola and Pirjo Suhonen have returned Finland in the previous night. They stayed at Hotel Ritz to present their collection at the show room Vendôme.

Pirjo Suhonen sounds happy: ”The exhibition went really well – I have been contacted by many buyers who haven’t been buying our collection previously. My email is full of requests for interviews and photos. Also our PR agency has already borrowed several outfits to the shootings of French magazines and TV shows.”

“Our show awakened interest, because it was something totally new and different from other collections. The show opened a completely new playground for us.”

The show has been present in all Finnish main media in the past week. It will also probably get attention in French weekly magazines in the near future – French editors have now time to make stories out of the material gathered at the fashion week.

A TV group will be coming to Finland in the beginning of December – they had missed the show in Paris and now want to make a story of IVANAhelsinki and the country that inspires IVANAhelsinki’s designer Paola Suhonen.

---

Also read and take a look at:

FF Phenomena 5 October 2007 – Destination: Paris 1/2
FF Gallery 8 October 2007 – IVANAhelsinki in Paris: Odd but Stylish
FF News 19 September 2007– IVANAhelsinki in Paris