Anni Salonen, MA graduate of Aalto, works only with worn and discarded garments, gathered from recycling centres, dumpsters and wardrobes of loved ones. Salonen began collecting when the relatives of a deceased neighbour discarded bags of vintage clothing, silk scarves, giant rolls of fabric and leather shoes, all in good condition, into a street dumpster. Despite her mixed emotions about the unhappy context, this marked the beginning of Salonen’s design methodology of salvaging and using rejected materials. Her work combines two types of discarded materials that are merged into new patched fabrics: the ones that have a short lifespan, such as nylon tights, and on the other hand, materials that are considered to age beautifully, such as leather. Salonen treats these as work collaborators rather than passive objects. Signs of wear, fading of colours as well as details of the original salvaged garments function as inspiration rather than something that should be erased, highlighting the lived history of the garments. The gender fluid collection also includes silhouettes made from vintage sweaters knitted by family members that were salvaged from gathering dust. All the items have been treated with care to prove the central point: these materials are not trash, and even in a state of wornness they are desirable, valuable and luxurious.
