For this collection, designer Tuomas Merikoski partnered with RePack, a Finnish packaging company whose industrial yellow sleeves are made from recycled material. Going forward, if you order something from Aalto’s site, RePack will deliver your purchase and, ideally, you’ll send back the package (free of charge) so that it can be cleaned and reused. Merikoski, meanwhile, repurposed the durable sleeves as statement carryalls by adding properly crafted handles and straps, and then decorated them with stickers that loosely interpreted globally recognized logos. In a way, it called to mind Douglas Coupland’s corporate security blanket from a decade ago; only here, the intention was more consumer conscious, the undertone less ironic (7-Eleven morphed into Grl Powa 4 Ever; the Windows logo became a rainbow flag).
So then, what to order? Definitely one of the coats, whether the breezier trench in semi-sheer nylon or the more solid denim-effect suede. This is typically a strong suit for the brand, but these latest versions were revisited as well-developed, softer silhouettes. Even when pieces appeared more stiffly constructed—peaked sleeves on a silk and linen jacket, slightly exaggerated hips, or puffed sleeves—the forms were round, which will be a welcome change for anyone who has felt Merikoski’s masculine-inspired looks are cut too boxy. The gray-washed jersey dress seems an obvious add; how often do you find a feminine piece so undemanding? Let’s not forget a new pair of the brand’s signature pleated pants—especially now that they look noticeably lighter—and the ones with the pouch that snapped onto the back waistline (although in the interest of security, it might be better positioned closer to the front). Of the recurring ruching and gathering, the poplin blouses would get the most wear. A loose-fitting glossy Perfecto—styled with or without the yellow bralette—was seductive in a way we don’t usually associate with the label.
Off the runway, these pieces aren’t tethered to the “after nature” message that Merikoski first introduced in his Resort collection and explored again here through TVs with glitchy typography (see also: the New Balance logo, which, like the others, was designed by Finnish graphic design firm GRMMXI). Come what may in this crazy world, he erred against any dark expression; his was a bright proposition that presented its clashes positively.
