IAMMAI
Fashion designer Mai Niemi is a storyteller and cultural designer who has created a unique and holistic fashion concept and stories, represented by the Finnish Fairytale brand and IAMMAI concept. IAMMAI is a unique and sustainable fashion concept with a Finno-Ugric and Scandinavian roots, lifestyle and exoticism. Its stories combine the worlds, East and West, practicality and fantasy, the local and the global. It is the story and the values to which everyone can identify with anywhere in the world. It is therefore no wonder that the Finnish Fairytale is interesting internationally. Finnish Fairytale is also living and mosern cultural heritage that combines in different ages and eras. It is modern folklore and folkcostume to express one´s roots.
Mai Niemi is named the Fairy Godmother of Finland, because she is constantly working on uplifting women, ancient history of Finland and Finnish epic Kalevala and in helping people to maintain their nature connection with her fashion and combining Finnish design and tourism to also generate jobs.
IAMMAI concept and the Finnish Fairytale brand
Finnish Fairytale clothes and accessories are one size as in the folk costumes, so they can fit all sizes. They are timeless and suitable for all ages, all seasons and events, trips, nature weddings …. they are social invention that live in the wearer’s life transforming n as needed with different parts of the collection. They can be used to renew and enliven the existing clothes. They solve the problem: Closet full of clothes (black) and nothing to wear. Mai Niemi’s knitwear pamper your body forms and help women to accept their bodies and themselves as unique increasing self confidence.
Mai Niemi’s fashion is also suitable for the Role -and Cosplay dress.
It is a creative and joyful self-expression, modern forest fashion, which at the same time is empowering and boosts up self-confidence in a natural way. IAMMAI is also designed for sensitive individuals, who can sense the energies contained in the garment. The nature´s shapes, colors and symbolism in them have a positive impact to the mind and they nurture body space increasing body comfort. In addition, they help to maintain contact with nature.
If you alienate from nature, you alienate from yourself, say the Wise.
We in Finland we know this and that is what I want to tell you from Finland, amomg other miraculous things. I have lived and studied in England for many years and I see Finland with a foreigner´s eyes.
The Mai Niemi Finnish Fairytale concept store is located at Senate Square in Helsinki at the Finnish Fairytale shop, Katariinankatu 4 b, FI-00170 Helsinki
Finnish Fairytale Fair Tale values
All our products are locally handmade in Finland with Love to support local women entrepreurship and to create jobs. I have a strong vision of soft, genuine and lasting values, which are already, and will be the new fair trade values in the world. My designs are timeless and lasting and I use most natural materials that decompost in nature, like wool which is the most ecological material. It grows by itself with little water, the animal does not lose life for it. Wool breathes on the skin and keeps body temperature even. Wool repels dirt and products made of wool need fewer washes.
Finnish Fairytale is growing international
China
Mai Niemi Finnish Fairytale is of particular interest in China and the USA, where we have already done groundwork for some time. Finnish Fairytale also appeals to children. This spring, in March, is held a large European children’s fashion review in Hangzou and Nanijing and Mai Niemi from Finland have been invited to present her fashion to the Chinese kids. My goal is to be part in this European children fashion event and the new online web portal. In Shanghai there is already one Mai Niemi retailer, sustainable fashion store, to present my collections there. Also, autumn, Mai Niemi is invited to to participate a Finland event in Shanghai. I will participate to these events with this funding. The Mai Niemi brand is registered in China.
USA
is my second target country, which is equally enthusiastic about Mai Niemi’s fashions. My roots are also there, and a big part of my family lives in USA. My grandfather was for 30 years a gold miner in Alaska. We have paved the way now for three years in the US market with local partners: In 2013 Mai Niemi was invited to lecture in New York`s Fashion Institute of Technology. Mai Niemi has also appeared in the BBS Radio show Reach for it and Cristo Bowers Amazing People Show in 2015. My first wearable art exhibition was in Philadephia Museum of Art and Craft show in 2006. My partner in New York is ready to start development and marketing work as soon as we receive concrete action funding. All this I have achieved alone with the supporting encouragement of my network and friends, but now I need a larger support to benefit in the future the entire world.
The challenges of a small business internationalization
Mai Niemi Finnish Fairytale fashion interests the world and I am constantly offered opportunities that I want to grasp. Unfortunately, many good opportunity has passed, because it has been hard to get funding for small businesses run by women presenting also soft values for growth and internationalization in Finland. The problem is the small size of the company with too few resources, and the whole funding system in Finland. The truth is that no matter how talented, a good idea or invention you have, without money it can not be offered to the world.
In addition, in Finland, funding can only be received afterwards and with self funding beforehand with own start-up capital. It is an impossible task to design art and handicrafts entrepreneur. This will require assistance of private sponsors and business angels.
How finance will help?
With your help I can hire the expertise and knowhow what I do not have myself: to systematize the concept, to tell stories digitally, make a Finnish Fairytale game, to increase production and to obtain the best ecological materials, to improve my graphic identity and marketing materials, packaging, to buy time for the development and design, to recruit a key employee and agent to handle exports and marketing. I have set up a goal for 5000 euros, but I will need to raise 25 000 € to get Finnish government funding and for all of this to happen and. I am utterly grateful of all the assitance you can give for my long time dream to come true.
Once upon a Time
by Global Blue on Mai Niemi
Fairy tales have long formed part of the Scandinavian psyche, inspired in no small part by the landscapes of Finland and other Nordic countries. And while their magic may have waned in the 21st century, a raft of taste-makers and contemporary fashion designers are keeping their spirit alive.
“Finland is a magical land of forests and thousands of lakes. Nature is always close, and Finnish artists have always been inspired by its beauty”, says Mai Niemi, the designer behind the fashion label Finnish Fairytale. “The fairy world is a great source of inspiration for me. Finnish mythology is intertwined with that of the Vikings and Celts, and with the Scandinavian sagas. Our country ́s culture of story-telling even inspired J.R.R. Tolkien in creating The Lord of the Rings”.
It is easy to see something of the ethereal, Tolkien-esque elfin queen in Mai Niemi ́s designs.
After studying fashion at London ́s Central St.Martin`s College of Art, Mai Niemi returned to Helsinki and carved out a career conjuring up whimsical, flowing and feminine pieces that alude to Norse heritage. Intricate braiding and beadwork, trailing hemlines, fringing and elements of nature, from feathers to pieces of wood, are all worked in her designs. “Fairies like to dance, move, play and of course dress up”, she says with a smile in reference to the procession of forest nymphs in saturated saffron, tangerine and olive tones that she deputed for this autumn/winter. “I ́d like to think of what I do is also a kind of role-play fashion to express fantasies”.
Mai Niemi Design House
www.mainiemi.com
Facebook Finnish Fairytale Shop
www.facebook.com/FinnishFairytaleShopHelsinki/
Facebook Mai Niemi Finnish Fairytale
www.facebook.com/MaiNiemiFinnishfairytale/
Facebook Iammai
https://www.facebook.com/IAmLivingDivineMai/
Immai blog
iammai.fi
Filed under: Consumer Goods by MaiNiemiMesenaatti
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