“Ps. Have to get this” say Finnish fashion chain Seppälä’s renewed stores. However, it may not be clear to consumers what he or she has to get from Seppälä – or what he or she has a chance to get.
Seppälä is often thought to be a retail chain buying and importing clothes from the Far East, although the reality is not quite that. Seppälä’s shoes are the only items chosen from collections of factories and this is something that will also change in the future.

Only few know that all Seppälä’s collections are designed in Finland – at Seppälä headquarters in Vantaa, quite near to Helsinki-Vantaa airport, actually. There are 13 fashion designers and an assistant in the team, lead by the design manager, fashion designer Eevaliina Frigren.

Growing number of designers

Seppälä had only five designers in the beginning of the decade. Since that the number has been growing with two or three designers every year.

”We have added the number of designers and design-emphasized products” confirms Eevaliina Frigren. ”All the products of Seppälä are designed here, as well as majority of patterns. There are also lots of younger designers now and we have given extra focus on fashionable grown-up women’s clothes in addition to Link, which is aimed for young people.”

The company has several collections for women, children and men. Majority of the designers designs only one collection.

Eevaliina Frigren says that it is very important that the products are designed in Finland. “When all the collections are designed here, they form a complete whole with matching colours, patterns and details. This way our products look our own. We have also found unique strengths in accessories and night wear, for example, that can only be found in our stores” she says.

Bigger picture in one hands

Seppälä had its first design manager this year, a person that pulls the strings of all collections. Eevaliina Frigren, who started in the position earlier this year, has been designing for Seppälä for more than seven years. Her task is to make sure that all the collection match together and that the collections will be designed by certain trends.

“At first, I will make sure that the collections have similar colours. This is made by keeping up with trends and colour selections. I find out the significance of mega trends and weak signals in the collections and manage quick changes necessary by these trends and signals” says Frigren, 32. “I also take care that the image of campaigns in stores and in the media matches the collections.”

“My work is mainly working in co-operation with the designers” she gives credit to her team. “Much is decided in the planning meetings – fairs, trends and other. Co-operation is crucial and we all have to trust each other.”

New retail concept and new markets

Majority of Seppälä’s current clientele consists of Finnish customers. Expanding to the East will bring new customers to the chain, but also new tastes and ways of dressing.

“It’s very important to consider Russian markets in design, too” says Frigren. “We will start having separate collection for the Russian market. The more stores we have in the market, the more we focus collections to the particular market. The basic collection will remain the same in all stores, but there will be a special collection for the Russian customers.”

Seppälä has opened 28 stores in Russia by now and there is more to come. All the stores in Russia have built by the new retail concept and interiors, which consists of black, red and white. The new stores also give ’feedback’ and suggestions to customers: ”Ps. Have to get this” and “That’s looking good”.

Much of the business of the company is different compared to what it used to be. The new retail concept and design can be found at the renewed Seppälä flagship store, re-opened in April, in Forum shopping centre in the centre of Helsinki.”