Ex-Fashion East and a Royal College of Art grad, for the last three years Heikki Salonen has played both Design Director and Head Designer at two major fashion houses (Diesel womenswear making up half).
This season however, the Finnish designer makes a return to his own name label, starting with a capsule line for east London boutique Hostem.
Presenting his AW10 collection under the Fashion East umbrella alongside Nasir Mazhar and Michael van der Ham – then fresh faces Edie Campbell and Cara Delevigne both walked – Salonen temporarily discontinued the label in 2012 on account of the aforementioned positions.
Returning to London (in tandem with a role in Paris), next month he will launch ‘Deadstock’, a preliminary offering ahead of the main Heikki Salonen collection that previews with a showcase from 15th-18th October ahead of a run on the mezzanine floor of the Redchurch Street shop.
Intended not as the full look ideal, Deadstock instead draws focus on creating juxtapositions amongst the cloth line up. Here fragments of techniques, materials and silhouettes from the last half decade are reworked and adjusted for pieces that embody the brand’s core values: iconic items are cross-referenced and music, subcultures and campfire tales are part and parcel of the label’s spirit.
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