Hebrew language interview – link here
We first discovered VAIN on Instagram where their upcycled McDonald’s workwear collection went viral. Since we crossed paths it quickly became one of our favourite brands. Jimi Anselmi Särmö Project Vain turned Over the years into a Fashion brand that will, In 3 weeks, debut in CPHFW. We managed to get an interview with the visionary designer and get a glimpse of what will await us on the upcoming runway…
Tell us about yourself?
“My name is Jimi Anselmi Särmö, but people started calling me Jimi VAIN when I was 15 yo. I grew up in a small rural village called Nurmo. As a child I went to a small art school for several years, but the VAIN project started a few years after that. I wanted to create meaning for myself and what I do, a platform where I can arbitrarily create and experience things. I did it completely for my own pleasure until people started to get interested and identify with it. I realized that an exception to an order like VAIN can be important or necessary.”
What drew you to fashion and when did you decide to become a fashion designer?
“I've been interested in fashion since I was little. but I grew up in a small rural village in Finland completely outside the fashion bubble. However, fashion became relevant to me through popular culture and my loved ones. I liked that my interest in fashion provoked and raised doubts in people. and it still does to some extent. The clothes seemed like the perfect way to communicate and challenge your own thinking. I still don't fully know what VAIN can be, it's the playground inside my head that comes to reality through clothes, communication and creating whatever. It develops and grows with me and VAIN people.”
Your past collection FW23 was inspired by the 2000s fashion. A time where the internet didn’t exist. Will we see this motif in the SS24 as well?
“The beginning of the 2000s is a time full of fond memories for me, the ss24 collection also has a lot in common with this. In this collection, there are more references to the year 2016 and my state of mind at that time. The collection also contains more popular cultural references from movies and music than before.”
Can you share a few details about the new collection that will be represented in a few weeks?
“It is perhaps a bit darker part of my thinking and the world. 2016 and 2022 have a lot in common. Accepting one's own incompleteness and that nothing makes sense in this world. I believe that without chaos or disorder, one's own thinking loses its culture."
You created a very unique, Interesting and also somewhat of an illusive brand. But what are the core values of VAIN?
“The key value to us is to do fashion business responsibly and convey a message, that the clothing has to have a function.
I started this project out of pure passion and love for creating and experimenting. It just gained recognition pretty early through doing the right choices.
Nowadays we do this for us, VAIN is my family. VAIN is all about love.”
We feel the fashion industry is going through a transition and that CPHFW and its values are a beacon of hope for the entire industry.How does it feel to be a part of this movement and to have your next runway at this event?
“I've dreamed of being part of the fashion week program since I was little, so this is a big deal for me. Of course I am honored, we might not be the most common CPHFW brand and maybe that's why we're a good addition to the event.”
