Aalto debuts beachwear and unveils an athletic spring collection

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jun 18, 2018

It was in Milan that Aalto decided to launch its new design and communication strategy, revealing all at its first ever runway show in the Lombard capital. "From now on, there will be four collections per year called Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, each made up of 25 to 35 looks and presented at a show or a similar event. It represents the evolution of our industry," the label's Finnish designer, Tuomas Merikoski, told FashionNetwork.com. 

In other words, after the spring runway held in Milan on Monday, the next summer collection will show in Paris in September, as usual. And after that "we'll see, we're travellers... " the designer mused. The revised rhythm is part of the brand's new approach to communication and design and reflects changes in the wider industry. 

"In this way, each collection becomes a creative exercise. This allows us to develop a story and to express ourselves better, while also keeping up with current developments, by organising a dedicated event, like a photo shoot etc. It's a much more comprehensive approach than the traditional lookbook," points out Tuomas Merikoski, who produced a fanzine for his spring 2019 runway show and distributed it to attendees. It was a first for the designer and allowed his guests to discover the spirit of the collection as well as the first models from Aalto's swimwear line which were unveiled during the show. 

For spring 2019, Merikoski has created a very athletic collection for "a strong woman with a competitive spirit, but who is also more open and free to express herself". And tapping into this athletic theme, models power-walked their way round two laps of the catwalk. At times out of breath but always stoic, they gave off an incredible energy in their fine pastel-coloured knitted dresses and their asymmetric jersey tunics decorated with undulating patterns. 

Sporting long glamorous latex gloves, they channelled the same relaxed yet elegant vibe whether they were squeezed into cyclist's shorts or slipped into more classical beige ensembles made up of either a skirt and a top, or trousers and a jacket. 

Cotton and linen were used in ruffled, easy-to-wear garments, alternating with technical fabrics, while sneakers and sports shoes were the de rigeur footwear pieces for these athletic models.