POP 373 Friday 20 August 2010

Today’s POP is Tui, who wants to stay in the city that never sleeps.

Immediate thoughts that sprung to mind when I found out I was going to Finland was something in long the line with: reindeer sausage, Santa Claus, total darkness, snow and ahem… Russians. Instead we were greeted by hot blazing wind and a boat full of 1940s sirens, a fire blower, cute sailor men and a head-to-toe tattooed human blockhead. How ignorant I was!

I might want to add, the reason I went to Nokia land was to visit the deliciously irresistible and equally stylish shoe designer Minna Parikka. Back again on the boat, conspicuous amounts of vodka were consumed in true Finish spirit and party guests included the lovely couple behind the luxurious cashmere label Balmuir (

www.balmuir.com), the talented rope master Miss Tinttu Henttonen and semi-naked/semi-clothed girls (depending on whether you see the glass as half empty or half full) just to name a few.

The next day we jumped on the taxi boat to Saunasaari, also known as the Sauna Island. Yup you guessed right, it’s an island dedicated to the sauna ritual, a tradition the Finns have mastered to perfection and executed for centuries. After the introduction to the sauna culture, our guides even encouraged us to go Adam and Eve if we wished so. Oh how I love Finland!

And things get even better back on the dry land! Serious shoe action was on the program when Minna informed that we were allowed to pick a pair of shoes from her boutique. Speaking of a Willy Wonka moment. Below is the silver beauty I picked. WOOOP!!!

POP quiz with the lovely Miss Minna Parikka

POP: As a child what did you want to be?
Minna Parikka: Well I always wanted to be a performer, like a singer or an actress as a child but than I became a teenager and my voice went lower and I could not sing anymore. My dreams were shattered. But then I also wanted to be a ballerina and took some ballet lessons. That was my childhood dream. But then early teenage dream was to do fashion or product design.

POP: Who would be your ultimate dinner guests?
M.P.: I think that would be Miss Piggy, Vivienne Westwood, Johnny Depp from Cry-Baby when he was still young and fresh, Dame Edna and Pippi Longstocking.

POP: If you could chose only one designer to wear for the rest of your life who would that be?
M.P.: That is really tough cause I don’t have A designer I would like to wear for the rest of my life. There are a few pieces from all collections that are interesting and not the whole shebang. But if I had to chose it would have to be Viktor & Rolf.

POP: Besides from shoes, what is your most important accessory?
M.P.: Hats! I like the British designers such as House of Flora and J. Smith Esquire who are small and independent and are doing crazy things.

POP: What is the best thing about growing up in Helsinki?
M.P.: It is a very comfortable city and it’s very safe. You have a good chilled out attitude of life. It’s very clean and get to be a child for a long time. You can be innocent without seeing all the bad things that are in the world. You can live in a little bubble.

www.minnaparikka.com

---