The Design from Finland mark’s Design Deed of the Year 2022 title was awarded to Oikiat Design Oy, the innovator of the FabPatch product. The Design Deed of the Year title is awarded annually to a Finnish enterprise where design plays a significant role. Other award criteria were, for example, responsibility, everyday functionality and originality.
The story of Oikiat Design began in 2017 when two Finnish mothers innovated an easy and practical method to mend socks, holes at the knees and seams. FabPatch – known as Vaatelaastari in Finland – is the result of years of development and a modern and sustainable solution to an age-old problem.
“Good design often solves problems in an effortless and even rewarding way. The Design Deed of the Year award shows us that FabPatch has succeeded in making repairing clothes easy and fun. We are grateful for this recognition. It encourages us to continue to utilise design as a tool of sustainability,” says Taija Sailio, Design Manager at Oikiat Design.
Oikiat Design Oy was awarded the Design from Finland mark and the Key Flag symbol in recognition of products made in Finland in 2019. Now the company receives the prestigious Design Deed of the Year award. The jury praises Oikiat Design Oy for being a responsible company that takes environmental aspects into account in its production and products.
“Oikiat Design Oy’s FabPatch prolongs a product’s useful life. It is common knowledge that the carbon footprint of the fashion and textile industry is substantial at the global level. Consumers use the same pieces of clothing for a shorter period of time and throw them away. The amount of waste is increasing in the West. The industry is focused on making extensive changes at the systemic level, even though, according to studies, prolonging the useful life of clothes has the greatest environmental impact,” states member of the jury, designer Hanna-Kaisa Alanen.
“FabPatch has harnessed its competitive advantage and strives to provide a direct solution to the challenge of sustainable consumption. To customers, the product range appears versatile, user-friendly and fun. I can easily imagine FabPatch gaining positive attention in various contexts and inspiring people to solve their practical problems in a creative way. The product also encourages people to embrace a unique aesthetic, which may contribute to user satisfaction significantly,” Alanen continues.
The Design Deed of the Year prize has now been awarded eleven times. In previous years, this recognition has been received by Beibamboo Oy (2012), which designs and produces bamboo-fibre baby clothing, VM-Carpet (2013), which produces high-quality, inventive rugs, Droplet Hitech Design Oy (2014), which makes wooden “Lastu” protective holders for mobile devices, Drop Design Pool Oy (2015), which manufactures “Drop” outdoor pools, Hakola Huonekalu Oy (2016), which makes furniture and interior design products, FRENN Company Oy (2017), which produces menswear, Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth (2018), Woodio Oy, which designs and manufactures wood composite bathroom furniture (2019), Piiroinen Oy, which manufactures furniture for public spaces (2020), and Kempower Oy, which is specialised in EV fast-charging devices and technology (2021).
The jury consists of members of the Design from Finland mark committee: Industrial Counsellor and Chair of the Design from Finland Mark Committee Kari Kallonen, Designer and Researcher Hanna-Kaisa Alanen, and Creative Director of Grafia ry Anssi Kähärä. The other members of the jury are Communications Director of Kempower Oy Paula Savonen and CEO of the Association for Finnish Work Tero Lausala.
More information:
Jetta Liukkonen, CEO, Oikiat Design Oy/Vaatelaastari, +358 400 991 003, jetta.liukkonen@oikiat.fi
Tero Lausala, CEO, Association for Finnish Work, +358 50 407 2623, tero.lausala@suomalainentyo.fi
Niina Ollikka, Brand Manager, Design from Finland, Association for Finnish Work, +358 40 674 8773, niina.ollikka@suomalainentyo.fi
The Association for Finnish Work endeavours to increase the appreciation of Finnish work and to further the success of Finnish work. Our central mission is still to encourage everyone to choose Finnish work. The association, founded in 1912, has more than 6,700 corporate or community members. www.suomalainentyo.fi/en/
The Design from Finland mark speaks on behalf of unique Finnish design origins, emphasising the significance of immaterial Finnish work from the perspective of Finnish success and employment. 780 marks have been issued so far. www.suomalainentyo.fi/en/services/design-from-finland/
Oikiat Design Oy is a textile company that launched the innovative FabPatch (Vaatelaastari) product in spring 2019. FabPatch is a self-adhesive patch for mending textiles. The product is much bigger than its size – more than 800 000 FabPatches have been sold in Finland alone. The company’s values include authenticity, sustainability and innovativeness, and its mission is to inspire people to mend their clothing. www.vaatelaastari.fi