HEL LOOKS is a website showing street fashion from across Helsinki, Finland run by Liisa Jokinen and Sampo Karjalainen. We caught up with co-founder Liisa to find out a bit more about the site and the project…
Squidge Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about how HEL LOOKS got started?
Liisa Jokinen: We started in July 2005. We were on a summer holiday in Stockholm, Sweden, when we realized how colourful and diverse the streets of Helsinki are. As soon as we came home, we started taking pics. What especially inspired us were young glam rockers who were hanging outside Kiasma art museum in the centre of Helsinki. We thought they were worth documenting. And because we wanted to show the looks of Helsinki to the whole world, we published them online. We have continued doing HEL LOOKS because of the great feedback and simply because it’s a lot of fun! Meeting new people, taking pics, running the website.
SM: You mention that the site is a tribute to ‘the pioneers of street fashion photography’. Anyone in particular?
LJ: Shoichi Aoki in particular!
SM: The images have a real feel of documenting Helsinki sub-cultures. was this the plan from the outset of has it evolved over time?
LJ: Yes, the plan was and is to document the Helsinki street scene. We know there’s something worth documenting and showing to the rest of the world.
SM: So how do you go about getting the images? How do people react to being asked?
LJ: I usually always carry the camera with me. It’s nice to be surprised – to see something “hel lookable” when you really don’t expect it. Helsinki is a small city with only 500 000 inhabitants in it.
SM: So what about you two? Tell us about yourselves?
LJ: I’m freelancing, writing and photographing for lifestyle and fashion magazines. Sampo is working as a creative director at Sulake, the founder of teenager online game Habbo Hotel.
SM: Any other projects going on?
LJ: I’m planning an “non-profit social travel agency” with my friend Ulla-Maaria Engeström. A travel agency promoting local, high-quality, low-carbon services and travel destinations. Our aim is to re-define the meaning of luxury! Then I’m also planning to take the HEL LOOKS exhibition to Brussels next year (it has been on show in Copenhagen, Berlin, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius). Oh and one more thing: I’m one of the curators of Art Diamond art exhibition taking place next summer in Pori, Finland.
