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Helmi Liikanen, Kristiina Hansen-Haug and Netta Törmälä. Photo Eeva Suorlahti

In autumn 2016, textile and fashion design students from Aalto University were invited to join a project in which they were asked to design a line of patterns and textiles for a selected H&M customer group to be included in the autumn/winter 2017 collection.

After the project ended, H&M offered three of the students – Netta Törmälä, Helmi Liikanen and Kristiina Hansen-Haug – internships in Stockholm starting next spring.

The project was organised for the first time last autumn, and it provided a springboard for many design students, such as Laura Kunnas, who has since been hired by H&M.

‘My experience has been very good. I felt like part of the team as soon as I started. H&M provides a lot of different opportunities and anyone who is positive, hard-working, humble and shows initiative can go a long way in the company. The internship was also a great chance to get a real job. After the spring, I spent a month in Finland and then returned to the H&M team,' says Kunnas.

Collection of Helmi Liikanen. Photo: Eeva Suorlahti

On the cutting edge of textile and fashion design

The collaboration project between the university and the fashion house gave 17 students the chance to work under professional guidance and create a complete and functional pattern collection for a specific assignment.

'This was the second time we organised this project, and the goal is to strengthen our relationship with Aalto University and find young, talented print designers. Aalto is a high-quality textile and fashion design university on a global scale. Last year was a success, with 12 interns from Aalto joining our team after the Helsinki final. I'm really happy that some of them, like Laura Kunnas, are now working for us' says H&M representative Maria Olofsgård Jegéus.

Collection of Kristiina Hansen-Haug. Photo: Eeva Suorlahti

'After the project, we arrange recruiting interviews at the school that are also open to other students who participated in the project. H&M also interviews our alumni and students whose studies are near completion and who are interested in working for the company,' explains Maarit Salolainen, Professor of Textile Design.

At Aalto University, the project was run by Maarit Salolainen, with Textile Design Lecturer Maija Fagerlund and Clothing Design Lecturer Ilona Hyötyläinen also closely involved in the process. On the H&M side, the project was run by Maria Olofsgård Jegéus, who is responsible for recruiting designers, while print designer Rafaela de Campos mentored the students.

Collection of Netta Törmälä. Photo: Eeva Suorlahti

Contact:

Tiina Miettinen, H&M
+ 358 9 3434 9531
tiina.miettinen@hm.com

Saara Koskinen, Communication, Aalto University
+ 358 50 5943422
saara.koskinen@aalto.fi