How Aalto are you?
Welcome for a trip down Aalto memory lane!
Where are your student overalls?
Student overalls bring back memories of Vappu celebrations, student associations, and good times with friends. Everyone who has worn an overall knows what it means to change a leg or how important it is to have your overalls tuned.
Overalls say a lot about the wearer. The colour of the fabric reveals the field of study - from pure white to pitch black and from purple to dollar-green. The overalls can also show if you have been an exchange student and whether you have a military rank. Your relationship status can also be updated on the overalls by changing legs with your significant other, making the overalls a unique mixture of colours.
Collecting different badges and customising your overalls is in the heart of the Finnish student experience. However, there are some rules to decorating the overalls. Traditionally, the badges should be sewn one by one - a laborous task for anyone who has actively participated the numerous student activities around the year. The badges can be placed around the overall to one's own liking; however, the big logo on the back of the overalls should not be hidden, as it showcases the wearer's study background.
Overalls are comfortable and easy to wear. In addition, overalls are weatherproof at least to some degree, making them the obvious choice for many types of student gatherings and occasions all year round. While overalls are an important way to stand out and show your study background and personality, they also connect the wearer to a larger student community across Finland.
Overall culture has long traditions
Overalls were first seen in Otaniemi during the construction of the area in the 1960s, but properly the costumes arrived in Finland in the late 1970s from Sweden. Student guilds began to favour them as part of the sitsi culture, a Nordic academic table fest where people eat, sing and make toasts.
As you can see from the company logos on the overalls, the overalls are purchased with the help of sponsors. Corporate partnerships are therefore an important part of the overall culture, and efforts to attract sponsors create a good team spirit among new students. Did you know that the front pocket of the overalls is the most expensive spot for a company ad?
