HS Helsinki In Punavuori, the same ritual is always repeated on Wednesdays: Two women are in pain in the darkness of the night in the shop window, and a choreography that confuses passers-by begins

When the last customer of the day has closed the door and stepped into the darkness of Iso Roobertinkatu with his purchases, the sellers of the recycling store Fida Heini-Maria Hynynen and Meri-Maria Hakola lock the door. Then they start clearing the store’s second Showcase of clothes and merchandise.

On Wednesday night, with many already lounging at home, this duo collects matching clothes and items from the decoration store. From them, they compose a new setup behind the shop windows.

There are two display windows: small and large. Hynynen and Hakola exchange their compositions together alternately.

The decoration of the small window is built around the furniture and interior textiles, and it can take the form of an impressive armchair or a colorful curtain. The still life of the large window focuses on clothes and accessories above the four Fashion Dummies.

Fida is an aid, mission and development organization whose recycling stores the proceeds will be used for charity. In addition to Helsinki, there are stores in Espoo and Vantaa, as well as in many other cities throughout Finland.

To the store there will be a load of donated clothes, shoes and goods every Tuesday. The store’s employees collect clothes, accessories and items from the incoming load, among other things, in the decoration warehouse.

In the store on Iso Roobertinkatu, a new decoration will be created on Wednesdays after nine in the evening.

For Hyny, who has studied clothing design and fashion history and graduated with a master’s degree in art, it is the decoration of the recycling store that he enjoys.

“Here you can realize yourself. And the selection of outfits is not basic, which is often the case in clothing stores, but all sorts of things come to the fore, ”says Hynynen, who is interested in vintage fashion, recycling culture and visuals.

“This is where you get crazy, I like it. There are always interesting things that you can use to create your own creativity. ”

Meri-Maria Hakola has worked at Fida for three years. He took over the tricks of decorating from a recycling fashion expert who had previously worked in a master racing school. From Outi Pyy, who has designed costumes for the festivities of the Castle. Please write Trashion!(Atena 2012) advises how to transform old clothes into new favorite clothes.

Hakola thinks it’s fun to decorate the store specifically with a business couple.

“The work starts with some magician hitting the eye,” he says.

“Something Mageeta” can be a gorgeous rug, a unique piece of clothing, or an 1980s orange cassette player. Hakola is particularly fond of a set of light blue leather jackets and trousers.

“Decorating a window is a storytelling, a fairy tale. The work is delicious because the goods that come to us are so unique. ”

In the first week of November, the duo will wear four model dolls from the big window. The work often starts with background textiles, even now.

“We have chosen a blue carpet as a base and also a little gold and blue,” says Hakola.

“We have a lot of clothes in the hangers that we choose over the dolls in different combinations. The decoration will be built until the last minute with Flow. ”

Ready to arrive often at eleven o’clock in the evening.

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“Decorating a window is a storytelling, a fairy tale.”

In the window clothes and items can be reserved during the show and go shopping from the store after the decoration is dismantled. The window is meant to be made to entice the store to buy specifically recycled products instead of new ones.

“At its best, an interesting window can inspire a passer-by to have fun dressing up,” Hakola says.

Decoration is also varied within the store. Vendors arrange different colored items in changing layouts according to current celebrations and seasons. So yellow in spring, orange and black in autumn, blue and white around Independence Day, gold and glitter in the little Christmas season. Christmas items have been put in for Christmas.

According to Hakola, the best reward for work is when a person burrows after looking in the Showcase and wants to reserve a garment that he or she has chosen and arranged for the doll.

This is exactly what happened to him recently.

“I was just at the checkout when a customer came up to me and said he wanted one of the dolls wearing a showy skirt. He told me he had to get it, paid for what he paid for.”

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