Finlayson, Finland’s leading textile manufacturer has expanded its operations into the U.S. by launching Tom of Finland X Finlayson, an unprecedented and exclusive collection designed in honor of Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, 1920-1991). The collection has been developed in close collaboration with the Tom of Finland Foundation based in Los Angeles. It will debut on Finlayson’s international online store and may be available in leading department stores in the future.
‘We’re thrilled to offer Finlayson’s high-quality home textiles, designed in Finland, to American customers. The Tom of Finland X Finlayson Collection draws upon innovative and ground-breaking Finnish designs and art traditions while paying homage to Touko Laaksonen, one of the most celebrated and respected Finnish visual artists of all time. With the Tom of Finland X Finlayson Collection, which features the artist’s erotic art, we also want to convey the message of respect and tolerance worldwide,” said Risto Voutilainen, chief operating officer of Finlayson, in charge of the company’s international operations.
“I am confident that Touko Laaksonen would be proud of the respect that he as an artist has gained during recent years thanks to the Tom of Finland Foundation and Finnish trendsetter companies such as Itella Posti Oy, the Finnish national post office and now Finlayson. Becoming a world-known artist has required determination and courageous work in a world that was not that respectful and permissive at the time. Significant for Laaksonen’s art is exaggerated photorealism featuring men in homoerotic settings. His first drawings are from the 1930s and 40s, but his major break-through was not until the 70s, even then using the pseudonym Tom of Finland. By the 1990s, the art community was ready to allow the drawings to be published in highly regarded art publications. Touko Laaksonen was honoured by The Finnish Comics Society with the prestigious Puupäähattu prize only a couple of months before his death,” said Berndt Arell, co-writer and researcher of the book Tom of Finland – Unforeseen and director general of National Museum of Sweden, a government-run institution.
Tom of Finland’s works have, since 1973, been exhibited in Europe, USA and Australia in cities including Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Oslo, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Stockholm, Toronto and Venice. His art is part of permanent collections of leading cultural institutions including Museum of Modern Art (New York), Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (Helsinki), The Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Finlayson is launching Tom of Finland X Finlayson simultaneously in over 30 countries in Europe, USA, Australia and in select countries in Asia.
The first release of Tom of Finland X Finlayson includes two designs titled Fellows and Face to Face, featuring works by Tom. The collection includes satin sheets in king, queen and twin sizes, duvet covers, hand and bath towels and a textile tote bag. The product assortment will expand throughout 2015, with the introduction of new patterns and products, starting with kitchen textiles.
Tom of Finland X Finlayson is now available in the U.S. on Finlayson’s dedicated international online store: www.byfinlayson.com.
