Life is too short for boring clothes

Making of a seriously fashionable teddy bear costume out of black tulle and corset boning

I was already leaving my studio late on a Friday night, when I had a vision: A wearable, transparent, black tulle teddy bear. What an intriguing, crazy idea.

Those brief moments are precious. When the day’s job is done, to-do-list all checked up and the mind is totally blank, there is a tiny chance that you come up with an extra-ordinary thought. A spark of light in the darkness, something you’d definitely ignore in the daylight.

I had to go back in and quickly sketch it up not to forget the thought during the weekend. I wrote down the keywords: transparent, lightweight structure.

After a few days of quietly considering the idea, the only question remaining was if I could do it, not if I should, or would.

I tested the idea first in a barbie-scale, as I often do impatiently. It didn’t quite work, but the outcome was somehow promising. I knew I needed much stiffer materials, such as corset boning and horsehair braid, the stuff you usually use in ball gowns or historical costumes.

Then I made the teddy’s leg in life-size. With the right materials, I was able to achieve the correct form without losing the lightness or transparency.

A bit by bit, the teddy started to come together. The head like an astronaut helmet, perky round ears, a little black nose and bulging eyes. I knew that the face was the crucial part to make him “alive”. All those little details gave the teddy his personality: slightly shy, but always ready for an adventure.

Here we go, the teddy is ready and wearable. I call him The Tulle Bear, or Tyllinalle in Finnish. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun finishing a piece. It was a hot summer but well worth it!

But what is it for, one might ask?

It is a wearable teddy bear and it needs to be worn.

However – it is not for sale. I designed it for shared use. You can rent The Tulle Bear for a week at a time. Who would wear a teddy bear costume everyday anyway.

Actually The Tulle Bear is one of my storificated garments. In addition to physical presence, it has a feature that follows the story of this particular garment. Who has already worn it and where? How did they look? The user images create an ever evolving story of the garment.

And – oh boy – he has been places! He went to a gala in Amsterdam and needed a suitcase of his own to get on a plane. I had to fix a few cigarette burns afterwards, but I bet he had a good time. To Tallinn he travelled on a front seat of a truck, that was much more convenient. Meanwhile, he hangs around in our Helsinki store waiting for somebody to pick him up for the next adventure.

Thank you for reading my first post (ever!) about my work as an independent fashion designer. Hopefully there will be many more to come.