Moomin is one of the most widely known Finnish brands. It’s not what comes to mind when talking about high fashion, though.

The spring/summer17 collection from AALTO, a fashion brand by Finnish designer Tuomas Merikoski, did the previously unthinkable and introduced Moomins at Paris Fashion Week in September 2016. I only just discovered it, and it’s pretty exciting!

AALTO International via The Official Moomin Site.

The collection called Uusi Fantasia (New Fantasy) takes illustrations from a 1977 picture book by author and artist Tove Jansson (Sw. Den farliga resan, Fin. Vaarallinen matka, Engl. The Dangerous Journey).

Tove Jansson: Den farliga resan (The Dangerous Journey), 1st edition cover. Via Wikipedia.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, the collection mixes the Moomin world with grunge ideology, among others, and is unique in that illustrations from the whole work, not just part, were licensed for it. Pieces include for instance pantsuits, dresses, t-shirts, jackets, knits and these incredible hand-embroidered Too-Ticky shoes:

Too-Ticky shoes. AALTO International via The Official Moomin Site.

And look at the Moomin fabric:

AALTO International via Fashion Network. Detail.

Looks like a brocade weave. Gorgeous – and fun! – in any case.

I don’t really follow fashion (except accidentally), but even I can tell that this collection has some neat details. See more photos at ParisFashionWeek.buzz or Fashion Network; or read the report at The Official Moomin Site.

Note: I wasn’t paid or perked to mention this; just passing along a good thing.