Talent Talks: Juha Vehmaanperä

Juha Vehmaanperä is a knitwear and textile artist based in Helsinki, Finland. Vehmaanperä’s work is influenced by queer theory, DIY culture and the mix of tradition and technology. They have a background in hand knitting and art. In addition to their artistic practice, they are also involved in design education by offering workshops and lectures.

Their work has been widely exhibited at for example New York Textile Month, Sim Gallery Reykjavik, Röhsska Design Museum in Gothenburg and Dutch Design Week at New Order of Fashion. Alongside these exhibitions, Vehmaanperä has received numerous grants and awards such as Young Designer of the Year 2022.

Their collection Fluid in Squares is exhibited in the NOOF lab from January 17th until March 31st. The exhibition explores binary thinking around gender and how these systems are embedded in everyday spaces. Through material and form, Fluid in Squares reflects on restriction, division and the possibility of fluidity within rigid structures. During the opening we asked Vehmaanperä some questions regarding their work. See our in person interview with Vehmaanperä at the exhibition opening in the article below.

 Could you please tell the origin story of you and New Order of Fashion?

We go way back with New Order of Fashion. I was here for the first time in 2018 (Modebelofte) and it was quite an interesting experience. From there on I also exhibited at NOOF when it moved here to Strijp-S in 2021 at the Dutch Design Week. After that I also participated in workshops in 2023. Really long origin story, and I love it here. Every opportunity I get, I want to come back here because it's such an exciting space where fashion and design is so often looked at from a different perspective. Also there is a lot of radical creativity and free spirit.

What was the inspiration behind the collection?

For this work, I got interested in how architecture defines our behaviours, and I am especially the into topic of gender. I started this new hobby of going swimming every now and then. At first I was really afraid of it because it's very much a binary (gender) system, how all the swimming pools are built. Basically you enter, and immediately you decide ‘Which way do I choose?’. And then you go through this experience that is almost shaped by architecture.

Then I was really interested in water as well, and how nature is very free flowing. But then in the swimming pool, we create these squares where we put the water in so it doesn't move. It acts according to our culture and how we want it to be. So we are always trying to box nature like we are trying to box humans as well.

What are your views on wool?

Wool is a versatile material made of natural fibers. It has great insulating qualities for cold weather and that is especially needed in Finland because it is freezing in here. Wool is a great artistic tool for myself because it can be dyed, felted, knitted, crocheted. It is durable and yet biodegradeable.

Solo Exhibition Fluid in Squares, Jan - April 2026, NOOF

Could you maybe share some techniques that you use for this collection?

Most of this collection is based on the brioche knitting, also called patent knitting. It is a hand knitting style, where you create this double sided fabric.

Why did you choose the color blue for this collection?

 Oftentimes I pick colours very impulsively. So now I wanted to have a clear framework. I decided to pick different blues, and try to make something very harmonious for this collection, because I have never been a very harmonious person myself.

You're also a teacher and you do a lot of workshops. How important is community in creating for you? How important is to combine community visual creations?

I started from a very traditional background in fashion where you work as a designer and you do not meet who you are designing for. I figured out that I want to change that and that I want to do things differently. One idea that has always been very important in my work is hand knitting and hand crochet, so hand based practices. Because of this, it feels important that there is also this idea of sharing knowledge. The designer does not have to be a person who is just making the clothes, but can also educate others about how to make clothes and how to give people their own voice as well.

For me, it was very life changing to start my studies in fashion because it was the first time I realized I can have a say in what type of clothes there are and for what type of people. Combining this with teaching has been very rewarding to me.

Vehmaanperä’s new Craft Punk exhibition at Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki

Image by by Angel Gil