I'm meeting with each of the four panelists who will join me to discuss the Pro-Am revolution at Kaapelitehdas next Thursday. First I met Ville Lahtinen, the 18-year old snowboarder and pro-am revolutionary who started the 'DIY beanie boom' here in Finland.
It all started when Ville saw the coolest beanie in a snowboarding movie. Ville asked his mother to crochet one, but learned soon that crocheting was actually pretty easy. Delighted by the discovery, Ville let loose his creativity. "I decided to make a different beanie for every day of the week. I think it was on the fourth day when my friends at school started to ask where I buy my beanies. When they found out, orders started flowing in."
Since then Ville has been busy. He estimates that in the past three years he has made some 900-1000 beanies. "Last winter there were only four or five days when I didn’t have any pending orders," he says smiling.
Ville gets most of the orders through his website Outowear.com, designed by a snowboarding friend in exchange for a couple of beanies and sweaters. Ville is the CEO, marketing manager, production person, packer, and courier of his own beanie business - while in his senior year in high school.
In Finland, Ville is a trendsetter. Thousands of young guys and girls are now making their unique snowboarding wear. Accoring to Ville, at least ten have created their own brands and started selling beanies online.
Really, this is Long Tail, Pro-Am and peer-to-peer production at their best.
Almost like Sverre in Sweden, he crochets too!
Posted by: Hanna | September 17, 2005 at 07:00 PM
Thanks, Hanna! Yesterday I also found Lål-beanies. Does anybody know more of these micro brands?
Posted by: Ulla-Maaria | September 17, 2005 at 07:37 PM