Saana ja Olli is a designer couple and an award-winning design studio

Saana ja Olli is a designer couple and an award-winning design studio from Turku, Finland.

We produce our own 100% hemp textile collection manufactured transparently and locally in Southwestern Finland.

Saana ja Olli has released annual collections, done design work for dozens of international clients and has been involved in various design projects on different continents.

In our works we value rectitude, timelessness and human touch.

Our past and present

We met each other as a teenagers in a outlaw hippie gathering in the woods of Oripää, Finland. We started dating and couple of year later ended up studying textile design together. We realised that the current market was lacking in sustainably produced interior textiles we liked, and proceeded to fill this void with our products.

Saana ja Olli as a company started as we retreated to a secluded cottage in Southern Finland. During the week we spent in the forest by the lakes we drew our first print design. We started from totally DIY point, and manufactured a small collection of interior pillows that got excellent feedback and sold out quite immediately. After receiving such positive feedback we decided to continue designing together. Since graduation we have concentrated full time on Saana ja Olli.

Since then we have released annual hemp textile collections and done design work for dozens of international clients (Lipton, Isetan, Stockmann, Danto, Boråstapeter, Uniqlo, Amnesty International etc). and has been involved on various design projects in different continents. Monocle magazine has chosen us #11 at their Top 25 Global Homeware list.

Nowdays we work together with our dear friends and design partners Mimosa Hellman and Vivi Lehmusjärvi.

Our design philosophy

Sustain­ability, dura­bility and local production.

3 guidelines of our design philosophy are:

1. Durability
Our goal is to provide our customers with high-quality, functional products of timeless design.

2. Sustainability
Sustainability is the cornerstone of our work and way of our life. It is our duty to act and work in a way that ensures our children and grandchildren can live in biodiverse world.

3. Local production
We want to keep our production process transparent and as local as possible.

By doing so, we can support local economy and the heritage of the Finnish textile industry and employ professionals from our native country.

Production

The whole production process, including design, printing, sewing and packaging, is carried out transparently in Southwestern Finland.

We like to keep things transparent and local.

In Southwestern Finland, where we live, we are glad to have first grade textile professionals. Our printing takes place in Aitoo ( population: 403 ) and sewing in Kiikoinen ( population: 1245 ). Parts of these processes are also carried out in our hometown Turku. We promise to produce locally and we take this right down to the smallest detail: our labels and tags, cushion and pot holder fillings, strings, and printing materials are produced in Finland.

By keeping the production in Finland, we know that the workmanship will be of the highest quality and that the employees will have a safe and enjoyable working environment with proper wages and benefits.

Our studio runs with 100% renewable energy (wind). Our printing is made with 100% renewable energy (wind/hydro/solar) and water-based non-plastic pastes. Our sewing factory runs on 100% renewable energy (wind/solar). All our interior pillows are made in Finland from 100% recycled polyester. Our insulation mat is made in Finland from 100% recycled textile fiber. Our shipping is 100% carbon neutral.

Saana ja Olli has the right to use The Key Flag Symbol as granted by The Association for Finnish Work.

We use only premium quality European 100% hemp fabrics from closest place we can get them, which at the moment is Northern Romania. In order to minimize carbon emissions our fabrics are transported from the factory to our home town Turku by land. Hopefully some day hemp fabric will be made in Finland again!

Five reasons for us to use 100% European hemp fabrics.

1. Growing hemp requires no synthetic fertilisers, irrigation or herbicides.

2. Hemp gives a generous crop of fiber compared to the same harvested area of cotton or linen.

3. Hemp turns carbon dioxide into oxygen more efficiently than majority of the other plants. Growing hemp counteracts global warming.

4. Growing hemp has a positive effect on the soil. It improves soil quality and with its roots hemp also fights erosion.

5. European hemp undergoes only minimal treatment thus producing longer and more durable fibres.

Awards

 

2020

Cleverest Award 2020 win
Architectural Digest

 

2019

Tunnustustuoli award

Association of Finnish Interior Journalists

 

2018

Nordic Design competition win
Hankyu, Japan

Turku Person of the Year [Nomination]

 

2016

Ornamo Designer of the Year [Nomination]
The Finnish Association of Designers, Finland

Design From Finland – Designer of the Year
Suomalaisen Työn Liitto

 

2014

Top 25 Best Global Homeware Brand #11
Monocle magazine

Best Interior Product of the Year [Nomination]
Muotogaala, Finland

12 Best Finnish interior design products of 2014
Finnish Interior Journalist Association

 

2013

Ympäristöteko 2013 -Honorary Award
Valonia, Finland

 

2012

Best Textile Product of the Year
Muotogaala, Finland

 

2009

Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Junior Achievement Finland

 

Collaborations

OUR CLIENTS INCLUDE:

Uniqlo (Japan)
Stockmann (Finland)
Isetan (Japan)
Lipton
K-Rauta (Finland)
Hankyu (Japan)
Querelle (Finland)
Finlandia Vodka
Steteco (Japan)
Finarte (Finland)
Novita (Finland)
Torinopro (Japan)
Putinki (Finland)
Ritzenhoff (Germany)
Danto (Japan)
Mums (Finland)
Amnesty International
Klippan (Sweden)
Lasilinkki (Finland)
Boråstapeter (Sweden)
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra
Kakola Brewing Company

 

Exhibitions

2020

Stockmann Atelier by Samu-Jussi Koski, Helsinki, Finland

 

2019

Sideshow by Paja & Bureau, Helsinki Design Week, Helsinki, Finland

 

2018

What the HEL, Vancouver, Canada

Nordic Fair, Osaka, Japan

Polku rohkeuteen, Stockmann, Helsinki, Finland

Retrospektiivi, Täky Galleria, Lappeenranta, Finland

 

2017

Saana ja Olli & Field Day -exhibition, Helsinki, Finland

Showroom, Amsterdam, Holland

Finland 100, Picks from Now and Then, Beirut, Lebanon

 

2016

Nordic Now, Dublin, Ireland

Cabinets of Wisdom for Finlandia Vodka, Sofia, Bulgaria

Formex, Stockholm, Sweden

Design March, Reykjavik, Iceland

 

2015

We Live Here, Stockholm Design Week, Sweden

 

2014

Isetan Nordic Fair, Tokyo, Japan

Lähimuoto, Helsinki Design Week, Finland

Museumsuferfest, Frankfurt, Germany

 

2013

Kultturikeittiö Helsinki Bar, St. Petersburg, Russia

Habitare, Helsinki, Finland

Nowhere Finland, Madrid, Spain

 

2012

Doing Good, Helsinki, Finland

Hirameki Himmeli, Tokyo, Japan

Tapahtunut tähän mennessä, Lapua, Finland

The Nordic Fashion Show exhibition, Lagos, Nigeria

Arjen aarteita, Helsinki, Finland

1-2-3 Helsinki! Paris, France

Iam Host, Lahti, Finland

What the Helsinki! Brussels, Belgium

NowHere Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland

 

2011

ISETAN x Hirameki, Tokyo, Japan

 

2010

Hirameki Design x Finland, Tokyo, Japan

Kirameki Satellite exhibition, Tokyo, Japan

Kierrätetty! Tampere, Finland

NowHere Finland, Seinäjoki, Finland

 

2009

Mielen kuvitus, Uusikaupunki, Finland

Haaveet, Turku, Finland

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