1. Who are you and where are you from?

I´m 35 year old trashionista from Helsinki. I call myself that because my thing is trashion aka recycle fashions (trash + fashion = trashion). I´ve written a blog about DIY, inspiration and ecological fashion since 2007 called OutsaPop Trashion. I also have another blog now called Outi Les Pyy. Same issues, but in Finnish. I´m called a pioneer of DIY fashion, because my blog was one of the first in the world just to concentrate on making fashionable DIY projects. I also wrote a DIY fashion book 2012 called TRASHION!. I believe that we can make fashion green when more and more consumers and designers are educated in green issues. I try to give my readers very practical advice on how to change their fashion consumption with out losing their style level.

2. How would you describe what you do for a living?

I work many jobs. The ones that pay me are I helping a charity organization (Fida International) in visual merchandising, marketing and social media related issues, giving lectures on eco fashion, hosting DIY fashion workshops and doing custom orders. My blogs are more of a hobby. I have also mixed myself up in many recycle related events and organizations working in Helsinki. I have a long experience working in sales and marketing so in the future I´m also planning to consult and help smaller craft labels to better their branding.

3. How did you end up being a trashionista?

When I was in my early 20´s, I wanted to dress fashionably, be unique and ecological and get everything really cheap. The only way to achieve this was to start customizing second hand. Trashion was born.

4. How would you describe your style? Does it change a lot?

My style is a mix of fashion classics. I tend to stay away from the fast trends. I love 40´s glamour, 50´s rockabilly culture and teddy boys, 60´s hippie chic, 70´s futurism, 80´s power dressing and 90´s grunge and club kidz style. Something for each day of the week! :P My style changes when I go through a bigger change in life. The last time was 2 years ago when I had a nervous break down. My style turned then to a more spiritual, yet darker and gothic wibe. It is in a continuous transformation.

5. What kind of things/phenomenons do yoou get inspiration from?

When someone goes outside their comfort zone and just flips out (creative crazy), but does it with grace and precision. Alexander McQueen was pretty good at this. All the important stuff happens outside your comfort zone. I also get inspired by people on a mission. Everyone should have a personal agenda.

6. Who do you admire the most in the business?

Strong female personalities that have a head for business, an eye for beauty and hands for creativity.

7. Your favourite artist right now?

In music, Dragonette. Martina Sorbara is my kinda woman. I learned just a couple of months ago that she also is a DIY girl!! I had a chance to talk to her after their Tavastia gig. So cool to be able to meet your idol. I gave her a leather thorn bracelet I had made the day before and she wore it.

8. What are your biggest achievements so far?

My TRASHION book. It was a 3 year project. Huge job, we did the whole thing with Mikko Rasila and Hanna Linkola after work, in the evenings and weekends. With support of friends and family of course. I wanted to make the coolest looking DIY fashion book ever made and I think we did a pretty good job on it.

9. What are your biggest dreams?

To make another DIY fashion book, and to have it translated in English. But I can´t quit this trashion-mission before I see Anna Wintour wearing DIY or recycle fashions. That would be the day I know we´d made it.

10. A quote or a saying you live by?

"Paskaa ei tehdä" and "Hulluilla on halvat huvit, idiooteilla ilmaiset." Translation: "Shit is not made." and "Crazy people have fun cheap, idiots for free."

Outis favourite song right now. "Good eloctro boogie, perfect music for work."

Visit Outis Outsapop Trashion blog here and Finnish Outilespyy blog here.

Also check out a very interesting upcoming exhibition between Outi Pyy and designer Mert Otsamo. 'Armada' will be on display at Kiseleffin talo (Aleksenterinkatu 28) 16.-27.3. Free entry. See you there!

Photos by: Maria Baranova, Tim Kiukas, Mikko Rasila

These photos were taken over a year a go in Madrid, in Retiro Park. I`ve actually shown pictures of the day twice before but these ones were taken in secret. Young spanish photography student Maria Villacorta was the assistant during the day and was helping everyone on the team with another friend of hers. Clearly she has quite a lot of talent already by looking at these pictures. I simply adore the style! The pictures give out a very special feeling that is very hard to capture on camera. Kind of like looking at photos from hundred years ago.

Check out the outcome here and my (not so special) behind the scene photos here.

from the editorial "Unleash the colour", luuk magazine 2012

I`m definately a cold blooded woman. All my friends always complain that my apartment feels like a sauna and I`m still wearing wool socks and a huge cardigan. I`m actually convinced I was born to the wrong country. In fashion everything is always half a year a head; shooting for bikinis in the winter and so on. I always have to mentally prepare for days before shooting summer dresses in freezing cold autumn rain. Well, well I had the situation reversed a few months a go; knits and thick wool hats in +26. I was determined not to complain about the heat and the sweating but I have to say I was pretty reliefed when the last outfit was shot in the shadow. Oh well, it was a fun day in a beatiful setting with a cute little furry colleague. And I actually got something extra out of it. I was so inspired from seeing the selfmade cardigans in all different colours and forms that I (and all the other grandmas) will be spending all darkening evenings knitting!  Pretty awsome hobby I might add, very therapeutic in its simplicity and will eventually (probably in 2056) keep me nice and warm.

1. Who are you and where are you from?

Hi, my name is Eerika Moilanen. I`m from Helsinki and I´m turning 26 this August.

2.How would you describe your carreer in dancing?

Right now I` working  as a hip hop instructor at Dance Action in Helsinki and at dance studio Funky in Turku. I`m also one of the choreographers in a formation competition group Way Underground. I also do other dancer-jobs like background dancing with artist and other dance-projects.

3. When and how did you realize you wanted to be a dancer/dance teacher?

When I was small i used to admire all the cool choreographs in the music videos and try to copy the dancers in them. I also loved to perform; school plays and high-school drama-club. When I was 10 years old my mom took me to a contemporary dance class, thinking that that was something like hiphop being named contemporary and all..

4. Who is your biggest rolemodel?

Actually I don`t have big rolemodels in dance, but I have been very fortunate to be surrounded with just incredible dancers, dance teachers and artists that I admire. From all of them I hope to learn as many new things that I possibly can and then take advantage of that in developing myself as a dancer and as a dance teacher as well as a human being in general.

5. Where do you get inspiration for choreographies?

My biggest inspiration is music. Good music is what makes me really move and feel things in my body that I express with dance. Music is like a drug that invades my body and mind and makes me dance. I also get inspired when I see good dancing or when I`m taking some amazing dance class. Also when there has happened something in my life or to the people who I´m close to and I feel a desire to bring that out in my choreographies. The most inspired I feel usually after some insanely good gig. It`s just awsome to see a great artist with great devotion perform the songs that are important to them. Makes me want to express my emotions as well.

6. How important is the styling; make-up hair and   clothes at your job?

When I teach I`m usually wearing BDC-sweatpants and some casual shirt or a top and sometimes a hat in the winter. With more classical dance it`s importnant to see the lines of your body, so then I´m usually wearing a more tighter top or with ballet a body and a pair of short shorts. On stage I´ve performed in all sorts of outfits, it depends what kind the performance it is. Hiphop ones I´ve done in jeans and a t-shirt bur for example in one show-dance we had black minishorts and dresshirts. With Draq Queen Niko La we`ve had pretty dashing outfits with a lot of glitter and stuff.

I think it`s choreographers or artists responsibility to choose the kind of clothes for the dancers that they look and feel good. The best thing is when you have the kind of clothes on that give you self-confidence and courage to perform to the best of your ability no matter what kind of performance it is. When you have self-confidence it really shows in your performance and dancing.

7. How do you dress on your free time?

On my freetime I like to dress really colourfully, more flashy and feminine. But sometimes it`s also just nice to put on a pair of regular jeans and a t-shirt. It depends a lot on how I feel or what kind of day it`s going to be.

8. What are the biggest accoplishments on your carreer so far?

Now when I think about it I´ve accomplished quite a lot in dance during this pretty short carreer of mine; Im a Finnish hip-hop champion in 2006 in a small group and from the same year a European Championship silver medalist with the Street Lovers Group. I've also had the opportunity to occur as a background dancer at Pori Jazz on the same stage where for example Mary J Blige performed.

In 2010 I spent six months in New York to learn from the best teachers and top-choregraphers and I actually did good over there. Thanks to that experience Im the dancer and teacher I`m today.

But I have to say that the best achievement are my students. I can see my influence in them and the way I´ve managed to improve them into the right direction. Giving them credit makes them feel like they can do anything that they want to do. "I know that I´m hard on them and I demand a lot but I also give a lot."  Thats probaply the most used sentence in my class. You really have to work hard in my class and I want that my students leave the class knowing that they`ve given their all so that there are no regrets.

9. If you would have all the recourses in the world what would you do with your carreer in the future?

In the future, I want to stabilize my place as a teacher as well as a dancer here in Finland. But before all that, My dream would be to go back to New York and train and live and work in the field of dance. I fell so totally in love with the city and the dance culture that when I was there it became like a second home to me.

If I would have the money and support to educate myself as much as possible and then pass on all the information and knowledge by teaching it to others. And ofcource, all possible performing would be wonderful; in musicals, or music videos or in the background of an artist. On stage is the place where I fully enjoy myself.

10.Why dance?

Because dancing is me. Dancing is the air that I breathe that helps me able to live. Through dance I can express myself better than in any other way. Dancing is my everything.

Street-dance formation group Finnish championships 2012

Group Way Underground

Choreography by: Eerika Moilanen, Heikki Hautajoki & Sari Havukainen

This is the second part of my Creative talent series. The first one you can check out here.