Leevi Ikäheimo’s collection addresses how a specific body image is force fed to us from an early age; especially the plastic bodies of toys built with outrageously unrealistic proportions marketed towards young boys. The BA-graduate of Aalto University has created a series of looks each resembling different characters and avatars with distorted silhouettes and bright colours, conjuring up the image of “bodybuilding rave troll dolls on steroids”. Despite its radical and satirical appearance, the collection highlights the value of handcrafts - both traditional and contemporary. From hand-woven faux fur made from textile industry waste to fine intricate leatherwork using old garments, the collection embraces the traditional ways of making – with specific attention to knitwear. Yarns ranging from recycled cashmere to stainless steel are hand manipulated and different techniques are knitted with the spirit of the role model knitters of Leevi’s life: his mother and grandmothers.
Leevi Ikäheimo is the recipient of the Exhibition Prize 2022, awarded by Designmuseum Danmark and curator Pernille Stockmarr. Leevi will be featured in the museum’s upcoming large-scale exhibition The Future is Present, opening in June 2022. “Leevi Ikäheimo is the recipient of this year's Exhibition Prize because of his great visionary talent for uniting exquisite craftsmanship, the world of play and gaming and questions about gender stereotypes. With his exaggerated styles and iconic silhouettes, known from plastic toys and virtual avatars, Ikäheimo creates an innovative interplay between the technological perfection of the artificial world and unique high-quality techniques from traditional craftsmanship and fashion. Ikäheimo’s impressive supernatural bodies also make us reflect upon how the way masculinity is still presented to younger boys is a question of power”, says Pernille Stockmarr.
