Cleared for Take Off - The Ultimate Runway Fashion Show

(Warsaw 3.3.2016) Finnair and Helsinki Airport bring creations by top designers to the airport runway in one of a kind fashion show.

For decades the fashion industry has been associated with the glamorous world of travel and in May 2016 this will be celebrated in style thanks to a Match Made in HEL.

Finnair and Helsinki Airport will transform Runway 2 of Helsinki Airport into the ultimate fashion catwalk where seven top designers from China, Korea, Japan, the UK, Sweden, Denmark and Finland will present their collections. The world of fashion will descend on Helsinki Airport to witness this special event on May 24th, 2016.

"The combined glamour of the fashion and travel industry share a long history. Air travel has long played a key role in setting the pace of fashion trends across the world," says Johanna Jäkälä, Vice President, Brand, Marketing and Loyalty at Finnair. "Fashion connects and inspires people, and we see this on a daily basis as we connect Europe and Asia with our flights. With this fashion show, we want to celebrate the connections between Europe and Asia, and showcase the work of some of the hottest designers from these two continents."

"Helsinki Airport is a key hub for Asia-Europe travel, and every day thousands of people transfer through the airport on their journey between these destinations. The airport, located along the shortest route between Asia and Europe, is a constant inspiration for us, and on May 24th fashion designers from both the West and East will meet here for this special runway show ", says Katja Siberg, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at Finavia, the Finnish airport operator
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The designers displaying their latest creations along the runway have been handpicked to represent some of the most interesting and inspiring trends emerging from the Asian and European fashion industries. The designers will be announced in March-April, and will be presented on the Match made in HEL campaign site at www.matchmadeinhel.com.

"Helsinki Airport presents a fascinating backdrop for the designers to showcase their work", says Tuomas Laitinen, Fashion Director of SSAW Magazine, who will be curating the fashion show. "I am excited to be a part of bringing some of the hottest names in fashion to Helsinki in May."

Finnair and Helsinki Airport together offer the smoothest connections between Europe and Asia. Finnair flies to 17 Asian destinations and over 70 European destinations via Helsinki. Helsinki Airport has grown into a major transfer hub for Asia-Europe travel, the airport is designed for smooth and fast transfers. As Finnair expands its Asian traffic in turn Helsinki Airport will expand to support growing passenger flows. In summer 2016, Finnair will offer 77 weekly flights to Asia from Helsinki Airport
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The Match Made in HEL campaign is a joint campaign by Finnair and Helsinki Airport, and targeted at raising awareness of Finnair and Helsinki Airport as the best partners for smooth and fast air connections between Asia and Europe.

Link to campaign video: https://youtu.be/8EBXUyI9Mh0

Link to Tuomas Laitinen invitational: https://youtu.be/Yg9XWG02vhg

Match Made in HEL in Twitter: #MatchMadeinHEL

For more information:

Finnair Media Desk, +358 9 818 4020, comms@finnair.com
Finavia Media Desk, +358 20 708 2002, comms@finavia.fi


Finnair flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki, carrying more than nine million passengers annually and connecting 17 cities in Asia with more than 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, is the European launch customer of the next-generation, eco-smart Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and is the first airline listed in the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The only Nordic carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past six years running. Finnair is a member of oneworld, the alliance of the world's leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers.

Helsinki Airport is the gateway between Asia and Europe. Designed especially for transferring between Asian and European flights, it is consistently ranked among the best in Europe – and even in the world – by international airport quality surveys. Helsinki Airport is operated by Finavia, the company responsible for Finland’s airports and air navigation services. Finavia’s comprehensive network of 22 airports enables international connections from Finland — and to different parts of Finland. Finavia’s revenues in 2015 were EUR 353 million, and the number of employees 2300.