Tuomas Merikoski decided to get a little more personal for Spring, which meant “looking at the inclusive/exclusive-ness of things,” he said. A former competitive swimmer and a beach person at heart (small wonder Aalto is a wave-themed brand), he nonetheless shifted slightly away from the overt, occasionally over-thought expressions of “wave” motifs seen in recent seasons.
Instead, he came up with a more conceptual angle based on marine life that might have made Jacques Cousteau smile. A sun hat reprised the shape of a stingray, with twin tails streaming down in the back; a white trench and officer collars were meant to be a feminine spin on the adventuresome Corto Maltese. Merikoski also said he was exploring the notion of movement by extrapolating from a long-standing obsession with the Dutch artist Theo Jansen’s kinetic Strandbeest.
The overall impression, however, was that this season marks something of a sea change for Aalto. Like many of his peers, Merikoski has had it with street and is focusing on tailoring, to winning effect on that trench, and with mixed results in terms of oversize volumes. Carrot-shaped trousers with a strap system at the ankles looked rather elaborate. Fine knits had a pretty wave-like texture to them. A tartan ensemble done entirely in sequins represented completely new territory for this designer. “Unfinished” prints and twisted fabrics were part of the story too, with T-shirt dresses simply knotted in front. Washed-out denims floated around the legs or reprised the “wave” idea with a swell below the knee, while a new logo squiggled in the manner of rigging. Speaking of which, for Spring, Aalto has also done a capsule with Voilerie Jeandot, which upcycles used sails into handmade bags. The Finnish clog, too, got dressed up with a bow.
In the past four years, Aalto has managed to establish an identity; now with new investors onboard, the brand is shaping a fresh strategy. Paring things back felt like a smart way to start a new tack.
