Place-Making the Local to Reach the Global: A Case Study of Pre-Helsinki

The case of Pre-Helsinki, a designer-driven platform aiming at internationalizing Finnish fashion talents, illustrates how fashion designers through this platform mobilize local actors in reshaping Finnish fashion to increase its visibility at the international level. For this inquiry, the article develops the concept of place-making, which summarizes the collective efforts of fashion designers and other local actors in the internationalization of Finnish fashion. Place-making comprises three themes, including a dynamic and consolidated interplay among the local actors, economic and symbolic contributions of the actors to local development, and its implementation at multiple scales from neighborhood to city and nation. The data for analysis consist of semi-structured interviews with actors around the case and ethnographic observations. The research shows how Pre-Helsinki appeared as a reaction to local- and global-level disconnections in Finnish fashion and how these disconnections were addressed in its activities. The background, origin of the platform, its activities and main actors are discussed in the context of how the platform implements place-making and contributes to building a meaning of Helsinki and Finland as places of fashion. In conclusion, the case is explored in the broader development of the Finnish fashion ecosystem.