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PatternLab2018, the yearly textile and surface design project in Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, has sold ten percent of their collection. During the past years, PatternLab teams have sold hundreds of patterns to a large number of companies in industries such as fashion, textile, paper products and interiors. This year, however, they have broken all previous sales records. Sales were also strong at the biggest international trade fair for home and contract textiles, the Heimtextil fair in Frankfurt in January.

“The work that has been done over the years has now really begun to bear fruit. Especially the decision to strengthen the PatternLab brand among consumers a couple of years ago has been a really good solution. Sales were great last year, but this year we have sold over 50 items in a very short time. It is a great achievement for this freelance designers’ collection", rejoices Adjunct Professor Maarit Salolainen from Aalto University.

The PatternLab brand is also featured already for the third time  in cooperation with Serla on kitchen rolls and in co-operation with Stockmann. The products have hang tags mentioning that the design is made by PatternLab team. This is a mutual benefit: companies get the advantage of co-operation with young designers and the designers get their works presented. In addition, the team has made a few design briefs.

"We are really proud of ourselves! We have acquired a tremendous number of new customers with pure hard work. Every group member has taken responsibility for acquiring new customers and arranging sales meetings. It has been a collective effort made with great sense of togetherness and positive mindset”, tells Eveliina Netti, the Chair of PatternLab2018.

Towards the international market

PatternLab aims at creating a large, professional surface design collection. During the year long project students learn how to design and coordinate surface designs for various application areas. They also learn how to work as a team creating commercial designs in a real business environment for domestic and international clients. The designs are promoted at key international industry fairs and in customer meetings in Finland and in the Nordic countries.

"We have created beautiful, successful collections that work on many different levels. Our surfaces make a versatile yet compatible set, that gives something for everyone", Netti emphasizes. The PatternLab2018 team has twelve young designers with a fresh vision and strong professionality.

PatternLab has helped many prominent surface designers, collectives and companies to start their career for over fifteen years. Amongst others, the Young Designer of the Year Reeta Ek is a PatternLab alumni. A group of students, that is guided by teachers who are actively working in the surface and collection design, works like a professional level company that sells surface designs in Finland and the international market. PatternLab has been progressively cultivating its brand since 1999 with the collective effort of over 200 design students.

The surface design project is supervised by Maarit Salolainen and lecturer Maija Fagerlund, and it is a Department of Design Minor organized by the MA programme for Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design. The students are across the different programmes in Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

For more information:

Adjunct Professor Maarit Salolainen, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Tel. +358 50 442 8381‬, maarit.salolainen@aalto.fi

Chair of PatternLab2018 Eveliina Netti, Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Tel. +358 50 3866961, eveliina.netti@aalto.fi