I had a certain expectation of Finnish fashion in mind before I came there: I imagined that most of the people would be dressed in the ‚old money’ or ‚Scandinavian’ style. This style is characterized by basic colours like beige, black, white and navy, modest shapes and no decoration on the textiles, discreet jewelry and an overall impression of being wealthy without showing it off too much. Typical styles include denim, long coats, striped sweaters, knit sweaters, chunky gold/silver jewelry, UGG boots, loafers, classy brand shoes and so on.But I have learned that you cannot really expect anything from fashion because it will surprise you wherever you are.Tampere surprised me with its alternative fashion and variation of styles and aesthetics. I saw a lot of y2k, wich is the style of the 2000s. It is often very girly and flashy. Key elements are tight velvet jackets, big purses, brands like Juicy Couture or Vivienne Westwood, skirts, tracksuits, bell-bottoms, fur coats/hats/boots, baggy jeans, tricots, big sunglasses and flashy jewelry. I also saw lots of goth and emo scene style with dark colours, dark makeup, long black coats, platform shoes (New rock, Buffalo), lots of jewelry and many piercings.The skater style was also very popular with its baggy jeans, chunky sneakers, Chucks, hats, shirt over long sleeve combination and leather jackets that almost looked like they were too damaged to wear.Many people were also dressed in the grunge style with dark earthy colours, boots, noticeable makeup, fishnets, piercings and many skirts.But there were also people I could not categorize, because their style was so extraordinary. I saw a man who wore a very bright yellow puffer jacket, a pink hat and pink latex leggings. And another women had half of her hair shaved off and wore a ripped jeans jacket with a tull skirt and a striped top. I also saw a man completely dressed in pink. Nobody cared or stared at these extraordinary people. I have noticed that the people in Tampere were much more free in their style and self-expression because nobody cared about how different somebody else looked. I liked that very much because even though we have a lot of different styles in Germany, some people still get shamed for what they wear and I think we should do it like the people in Tampere… If you don’t like it, just don’t care.
By Mascha
