Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Aalto University x EMMA Talks | Three Perspectives on Fashion Change
How does fashion respond to today’s global challenges? The panel discussion held at Aalto University’s Marsio building will explore the economic and ecological future of fashion. Participating in the discussion are fashion designers Lauri Greis and Rolf Ekroth, as well as professor of textile design Maarit Salolainen. The discussion will be moderated by EMMA’s curator and co-curator of Social Fabric exhibition, Reetta Kalajo.
The event is organized in collaboration with the EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art and Aalto University. The discussion will be in Finnish, and there will also be time for audience questions.
Before the panel discussion, the audience will have the opportunity to explore the Cooler Planet exhibition at 15:00 in Marsio’s foyer. The first 20 participants will get a guided tour organized by Aalto students. After the panel discussion at 16:45, the film Radical Creatives will be shown in Marsio’s Cinema. The film lasts one hour.
Social Fabric exhibition, on display at EMMA until December 7, 2025, brings together fashion designers and contemporary artists whose work emphasizes social and cultural phenomena. The focus is on Nordic designers, some of whom are making their debut in Finland. Remember that EMMA offers free admission every Friday starting at 15:00.
Panelists
Maarit Salolainen
Maarit Salolainen is a professor of textile design and director of the master’s program in fashion, clothing, and textile design at Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture. She has extensive international experience in the textile industry and design management. Salolainen has also written the book Interwoven – Exploring Materials and Structures (2022), which deals with the history and materials of textiles.
Rolf Ekroth
Rolf Ekroth is a graduate of Aalto University who works as a fashion designer and the artistic director of the Finnish fashion brand that bears his name. Ekroth is known for his innovative and sustainable approach to fashion. His collections often combine inclusivity and environmentally friendly values. Ekroth’s latest collection, No Distance Left to Run, was presented at Copenhagen Fashion Week in January 2025.
Lauri Greis
Lauri Greis is a Finnish fashion designer who has the ability to combine traditional and modern elements in his work. In his collection Karelian Sportlore, Greis comments on the history of Finnish national costumes, inspired by the Antrea national costume he inherited from his grandmother. Lauri Greis, who studied at Aalto University, received both the Konstsamfundet association and Fiskars awards for his collection in 2024, and the collection was also one of the finalists for the Alpha Nordic Fashion Prize.
Reetta Kalajo
Reetta Kalajo is the curator of audience services at EMMA and has curated exhibitions at the museum that move at the intersection of art and fashion or design. Kalajo is responsible for EMMA’s multidisciplinary audience program and the museum’s educational line.