Lapuan Kankurit SADE towel photo credit Jopsu Ramu

50th Anniversary

It’s the 50th birthday of Lapuan Kankurit. 50 years filled with exultant joys, heart-breaking hardships, remarkable friendships, bold breakthroughs, beautiful designs – 50 years filled with more memories than a mind could possibly hold. Our family’s journey in the world of textiles began all the way back in 1917 with Juho Annala, who founded a felt boot factory in Lapua and subsequently laid the groundwork for the founding of Lapuan Kankurit in 1973. The past is the cornerstone on which we ground our work and our mission. And it’s from this ground up we peer over the horizon to feel the fresh wind blowing in our faces.

It’s a wind that carries promises of more memories to be made, of laughter, of freedom, of dreams. Of a deeper connection between Earth and its denizens. It makes no guarantees of things always being easy, but promises them to be worthwhile. This is the air that our upcoming collection carries too.

MAY GREETINGS FROM LAPUAN KANKURIT: EIJA, OUTLET STORE MANAGER

Warm congratulations to Lapuan Kankurit!

This is my ninth year of working as the store manager of Lapuan Kankurit’s outlet. We’ve been through so much together, and I deeply value the seemingly never-ending ingenuity, courage, confidence, passion and effort the Lapuan Kankurit entrepreneurs have exuded, even during difficult times.

That you have believed and keep believing in the domestic textile production, have preserved and developed traditional weaving further, keep producing beautiful, practical and genuine items for the every-day life – I think it’s amazing. I marvel at and deeply value your skill to always stay one step ahead and to find the right way to proceed.

My work here has always been versatile and interesting, a constant learning experience. I have been able to utilise my education in textile industry as well as previous work experiences in this job. I also absolutely love the delightful meetings I have with our customers! It’s so easy to do your job when you can stand proudly behind the products and shared values, to share the stories behind the products – and to top it all off, I have the absolute best coworkers!

MAY GREETINGS FROM DESIGNER: MATTI PIKKUJÄMSÄ

"My heartfelt congratulations to the 50-year-old company. We, too, share a long history together. Our mutual friend from Japan introduced me to Lapuan Kankurit at the same time as they were looking for a design for their sauna products over 10 years ago. Thus were born MIESTEN SAUNA and NAISTEN SAUNA designs, as well as the friendship between me and Lapuan Kankurit.

I enjoy working with you tremendously. The trust and freedom you allow your designers mean a lot to me. I can focus on creating the design in peace, knowing that I can count on the quality of the finished product from the start. I am really proud to be able to name you as my clients."

Read more about Matti Pikkujämsä.
Matti Pikkujämsä | Lapuan Kankurit

APRIL GREETINGS FROM DESIGNER: ANU LEINONEN

Happy birthday to the 50-year-old Lapuan Kankurit!

It is amazing to see how believing in yourself and your craft has propelled you forward, all the while upholding the values of quality, craftsmanship and the art of weaving. The courage to try new things without shirking difficulties is an amazing attitude which you can be tremendously proud of. Through your rousing, attentive collaboration with designers you keep creating lasting, gentle beauty to the everyday life, for those who value ecological and transparent production.

I warmly reminisce our over decade-old journey together, as well as the first steps in the global pioneering of washed linen, taken during an eventful trade fair in Paris.

Read more about Anu Leinonen.

Anu Leinonen | Lapuan Kankurit

APRIL GREETINGS FROM LAPUAN KANKURIT: MANA AND TAKASHI KOBAYASHI, DESIGN OFFICE IMA

“Congratulations to Lapuan Kankurit! Design Office IMA is a Tokyo-based Japanese design company. We have created the shop design of the Lapuan Kankurit shops in Helsinki, Tokyo and Lapua. We have also designed stands and exhibitions for Lapuan Kankurit in Europe and in Japan.

We adore the gorgeous and comfortable products you create. It brings us so much joy to be able to design beautiful spaces together with you. Let’s make more together!”

MARCH GREETINGS FROM DESIGNER: MARI MARTIKAINEN AND MINNA IMPIÖ

"Heartfelt congratulations to Lapuan Kankurit – 50 years’ worth of beautiful and eco-friendly products is an amazing achievement! It has been a joy to work together with you ever since 2017, sharing the joys and hardships of entrepreneurship. Our long-standing partnership has been indispensable to us.

The ease of our collaboration can be explained by our shared values: responsible production, sustainable and ecological materials as well as beautiful products. In designing products together, we merged the Kenyan colour scheme of Mifuko and the sleek, clear-cut style of Finnish design, bringing to life linen collections such as TSAVO, MERU, WATAMU JA LEWA."

Read more about Minna and Mari: Mifuko | Lapuan Kankurit

MARCH GREETINGS FROM LAPUAN KANKURIT: LISSU, FINISHER AT LAPUAN KANKURIT 1973-2013 - RETIRED.

For a long time, Liisa, "Lissu", was an essential part of Lapuan Kankurit. As a matter of fact, she started as early as 1970 as nanny for a four-year-old blond little boy. That boy is the CEO of Lapuan Kankurit today. Later, she started working in the weaving mill, and she retired only recently.⁠

"When babysitting Esko, I would take him to my homestead to see the country life. He was excited already in the bus, when he got to push the signal button! Sometimes he was quite a handful, but we got along just great. When he grew and his parents established a weaving mill, I got a job there."

FEBRUARY GREETINGS FROM DESIGNER: TEEMU JÄRVI

"Happy birthday to the wonderful, tradition-honouring yet ever-innovative Lapuan Kankurit! It has been an honour to have been working together with you for so long. Finnish production, responsibility, uncompromising quality and natural materials form a base of values which have been easy to agree with and share. Lapuan Kankurit was the first company to want to license my animal prints for textiles over ten years ago. Ever since then we have been working together, and continue to release new themes every year. This year’s newcomers feature a cat and a dog prints: KISSA and KOIRA towels."

Read more about Teemu Järvi, who has designed for Lapuan Kankurit already 10 years.

Teemu Järvi | Lapuan Kankurit

FEBRUARY GREETINGS FROM LAPUAN KANKURIT: JASMINA, FINISHING MILL

I’m a sewer and a finisher whose assignments include transforming the woven fabric into a finished product. I gained my education in The Finnish Institute for Enterprise Management’s recruitment training, and apply the skills I learned there in my work with Lapuan Kankurit. I’ve been working here for 2 years now. At first the plan was for me to stay home with my kids after my seasonal work ended, but after seeing the ad for the recruitment training I knew I would end up regretting not applying. Even though I had no experience in sewing, I have always been creative and skilled in crafts, and Lapuan Kankurit seemed like the perfect workplace for me.

I have enjoyed my time with Lapuan Kankurit tremendously, my co-workers are lovely and it was easy to become a part of the community. I feel like my skills are truly valued here, and that I’m an important part of the whole. Being a part of the Lapuan Kankurit family is wonderful, knowing I get to take part in making all the gorgeous and unique products.

JANUARY GREETINGS FROM DESIGNER: REETA EK

"My most heartfelt congratulations to the fifty-year-old Lapuan Kankurit!

I admire the tenacity with which you have developed not only your company, but also Finnish design and handicraft. To achieve all that has required a clear vision and lots of love, great partners and even a bit of madness. It has been a joy to work with you!"

Read more about Reeta Ek, who has designed for Lapuan Kankurit already over 10 years.

Reeta Ek | Lapuan Kankurit

JANUARY GREETINGS FROM LAPUAN KANKURIT: SARA BENGTS, DESIGNER

I’m a visual designer and a creative thinker whose superpowers include problem solving and possibility finding. I utilize these superpowers in my work with Lapuan Kankurit, with whom I’ve been developing the company brand for over 10 years. Back then Lapuan Kankurit was only thirty, a creative and curious visionary.

I believe that creativity and curiosity are key factors in evolving a brand. To build a strong Lapuan Kankurit brand, we’ve required not only creativity and curiosity, but also empathy and courage. Empathy to view things from different perspectives, not only from different people’s, but also from the perspective of the environment and culture. Creativity to turn these observations into a concrete plan, and courage to keep evolving – even when everything is working well. In a family business, things are not rushed for a quick gain; they are done patiently, consistently and sustainably. The brand conveys this approach.

Today, the 50 years old Lapuan Kankurit is still young, creative and courageous. Through design it reflects both the present moment as well as the future.

Masters of Linen

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50th Anniversary