Halla Halla – 10 years of bold patterns, reversible swimwear and efforts to reduce marine litter

The idea for Halla Halla stemmed from clear objectives: keeping the seas cleaner while expressing the founders’ own creativity and love of fashion. This summer, Halla Halla is celebrating its tenth anniversary with anniversary collections and events.

Salla and Hanna, the founders of Halla Halla, first met back in 2010 while studying fashion design in Kouvola. They quickly found common ground and a quirky style that set them apart from the rest. The duo were already interested in the tropics and travelling during their student days, and it was during their travels that the idea for Halla Halla began to take shape.

While surfing, the world’s woes, bobbing about in rubbish-strewn waters, hit them right in the face – literally. 

“It quickly became clear that our idea for a swimwear collection needed something new and revolutionary, and we couldn’t carry on doing things the same way as before. However, finding an eco-friendly material was no easy task, as swimwear requires flexibility, durability and technical properties that are not found in ordinary natural materials. It took us about a year of trial and error to find the right material.” 

In the end, the solution they found was high-quality nylon made from plastic waste and discarded fishing nets collected from the seas. The rubbish is collected through various initiatives and projects by volunteers, such as the Healthy Seas organisation.

Looking back over the past ten years, there is one moment in particular that comes to mind for the duo: their first pop-up event in 2018. The queues stretched for hundreds of metres despite the temperature reaching over 30 degrees Celsius – and even the collection was aptly named ‘Heat Wave’.

Today, the heart of Halla Halla can be found in Helsinki’s Torikorttelit area, where the brand has been operating since 2019. At first, the duo only held summer pop-up events in the area, but they immediately felt right at home there.

“We wanted to be in the city centre, and the Torikorttelit area has a better vibe than shopping centres. The abundant colours, the sea, the market square and the people fit perfectly into our world.”

Having a brick-and-mortar shop in the Torikorttelit area has facilitated some wonderful interactions with customers. The duo still have customers from the early days of their business come back and tell them that they are still wearing the same swimsuit even ten years on. What really sticks in the duo’s memory are moments when a swimsuit means more than just a piece of clothing.

“Someone will say that they haven’t worn a bikini for 20 years, or that they’ve never thought they could wear one. Then they come out of the fitting room feeling more confident.”

Halla Halla will be celebrating its 10th anniversary with new collections and events throughout the summer. July will be the actual month of celebration, featuring parties, activities and an anniversary collection with all the elements important to the brand: Finnish design, tropical influences and a bold colour palette.

According to Salla, this year’s trend is to wear whatever feels right: “Forget colour charts, trends and rules!”

You can find Halla Halla’s stunning and colourful shop in the Torikorttelit area, at Unioninkatu 25.
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