Lapuan Kankurit

Lapuan Kankurit Wins ‘Audience's Favourite’ in the Entrepreneur of The Year Competition

The EY Entrepreneur of The Year competition, organized annually by EY, is an acknowledgement of entrepreneurs who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievements. In 2023, Jaana and Esko Hjelt from Lapuan Kankurit Oy were chosen as the Audience Favourite. ILOQ's Heikki Hiltunen and Mika Pukari were declared as the Growth Entrepreneurs of The Year at the gala held on the 27^th of October. Juho, Maria and Mikko Martikainen from Genelec Oy were awarded the Family Entrepreneur of the Year award, Izabella Lundberg from Airfi Oy Ab won the Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year award. The Finland Brand Award went to Janne Honkanen from Luxury Action Oy and Panu Pasanen from One Click LCA Oy won the EY Tech award.

All 10 finalists are amazing entrepreneurs and more than deserving of the Entrepreneur of the Year acknowledgement. "All our finalists are united in their drive to be the best in their field. The entire jury agreed that the level of the companies participating in the competition was really high. All competitors and finalists can be extremely proud of their achievements", says Leena Niemistö, the chairperson of the jury.

Jaana and Esko are grateful for the recognition. "Thank you to EY and all the voters! It is truly an honour to receive such a recognition. It is especially meaningful that the customers, in particular, appreciate the work we do."

Helsinki, October 27, 2023

Lapuan Kankurit is one of the 10 finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 competition

Lapuan Kankurit is one of the 10 finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 competition. The winners will be announced at a gala on October 27th, where awards will be presented for the main category winner, the Family Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year. For the third time in Finland, the EY Tech Award will also be presented. The competition winner will represent Finland in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition, which will be held in June 2024.

"We want to support entrepreneurship through the competition and emphasize the significant role of growth entrepreneurs in building the well-being and success of Finland. Each finalist has earned their place because they all inspire with their vision, leadership, and achievements. In recent years, entrepreneurship has highlighted the ability to be creative in unexpected and challenging situations," says Juha Hilmola, the program director and partner of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.

The winner of the competition will be chosen by an independent jury. "What unites all our finalists is their desire to be the best in their field. The entire jury was in agreement that the level of the companies involved in the competition was exceptionally high. All competitors and finalists can be extremely proud of their achievements," says Leena Niemistö.

The finalists of Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 are:

Airfi Oy AB, Izabella Lundberg, Raisio
EVA Solutions Group Oy, Niina Suuriniemi Hopper, Tampere
Genelec Oy, Maria, Mikko & Juho Martikainen, Iisalmi
iLOQ Oy, Mika Pukari & Heikki Hiltunen, Oulu
Lapuan Kankurit Oy, Jaana & Esko Hjelt, Lapua
Luxury Action Oy, Janne Honkanen, Rovaniemi
One Click LCA Oy, Panu Pasanen, Helsinki
Skyfora Oy, Fredrik Borgström & Svante Henriksson, Helsinki
Stalatube Oy, Jukka Nummi, Lahti
Suomen Kovabetoni Oy, Marjet Mäkinen, Turku

Helsinki, October 10, 2023.

LAPUAN KANKURIT RECEIVES THE RESPONSIBLE COMPANY AWARD 2023

Lapuan Kankurit, Kyrö Distillery, and Lennol Oy have been recognized as pioneers in sustainability in South Ostrobothnia.

The awards for exemplary sustainability efforts by these companies were announced on Thursday, June 8, 2023, at a seminar held at Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences.
In the award criteria, the companies were acknowledged for their commitment to developing various aspects of social, economic, and environmental responsibility comprehensively.

The background for the awards is a project by Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, which has prepared small and medium-sized enterprises in the region for corporate responsibility and, among other things, developed a self-assessment tool for sustainability work.
In addition to the increasing demands from society and customers for companies to be more responsible, understanding sustainability is also an essential competitive advantage, as noted by the project manager and expert Mika Koivupuisto.

Seinäjoki, June 8, 2023.

LAPUAN KANKURIT RECEIVES THE TUNNUSTUSTUOLI AWARD 2022

Tunnustustuoli, awarded by the Association of Interior Journalists, is awarded as a recognition for excellency in the field of interior decorating. The association’s executive committee chooses the winner from three to four nominees appointed by the association.

This year the Association of Interior Journalists wished to reward a company which has dedicated itself to treasuring and improving on both the Finnish design as well as the handicraft tradition, with a focus on sustainable development and production.

The Tunnustustuoli award was presented to Lapuan Kankurit on 7.6.2022 during an Association of Interior Journalists event held in Billnäs.

Association of Interior Journalists consists of journalists working in leading Finnish media houses or as free journalists.

TEXTILE AND FASHION AWARD 2022

Textile & Fashion Forum Helsinki -tapahtumassa 7.4.2022 jaetun Tekstiilin ja muodin palkinnon sai Lapuan Kankurit.

Tekstiili- ja muotialan voimat yhteen koonnut Textile & Fashion Forum Helsinki -tapahtuma huipentui iltajuhlaan, jossa julkistettiin Tekstiilin ja muodin palkinnon voittaja. Tänä vuonna alan tunnustuspalkinnon sai Lapuan Kankurit, ja erityinen kunniamaininta jaettiin kiertotalousyritys Rester Oy:lle.

Tekstiilin ja muodin palkinto nostaa esiin suomalaista yritystä tai toimijaa, joka on luonut menestyksekkäästi kasvua omalla liikeideallaan, tarjoaa vastauksia ajankohtaisiin haasteisiin tai toimii alan näkyvänä lähettiläänä.

Ehdokkaat palkinnon saajiksi kerättiin avoimella kyselyllä, ja palkinnon voittajan ja kunniamaininnan saajan valitsi tuomaristo, johon kuuluivat professori Pirjo Hirvonen Aalto-yliopistosta, toimittaja Jenny Jännäri Kauppalehdestä, Robert van de Kerkhof Lenzing AG:stä ja toimitusjohtaja Marja-Liisa Niinikoski Suomen Tekstiili & Muoti ry:stä. Palkittujen lisäksi finalisteissa olivat mukana Myssyfarmi, Lennol ja Pure Waste.

Palkinnon suojelijana toimi elinkeinoministeri Mika Lintilä.

Palkinnon voittaja kasvaa ja kehittyy perinteitä kunnioittaen

Tekstiilin ja muodin palkinnon saanut Lapuan Kankurit teki vaikutuksen tuomaristoon kyvyllään ja sitoutuneisuudellaan toteuttaa omia arvojaan toiminnassaan. Lapuan Kankurit kutoo tekstiili kerrallaan parempaa tulevaisuutta. Yrityksen luonnonläheiset kattaus-, kylpy- ja villatuotteet tunnetaan hyvin Suomessa sekä muualla maailmassa. Lapuan Kankurit osoittaa esimerkillään, miten yritys voi uusiutua, kasvaa ja kehittyä perinteitä ja historiaansa kunnioittaen.

BRAND OF THE YEAR 2022

We were honoured to win the brand of the year award by the Finnish chamber of commerce.

For the third year, the Chamber of Commerce awarded the brand of the year. This year the award was won by Lapuan kankurit, a family business with a 100 year history of weaving. The choice was reasoned with strong values and transparency in sustainability actions.

Lapuan Kankurit is well known for its high quality linen and wool textiles. The company weaves the majority of their products in their own weaving mill in Lapua. Lapuan Kankurit has a flagship stores in Helsinki and Tokyo but also a factory outlet in Lapua.

"Customer experience at Lapuan Kankurit and competitive advantage are built on strong values and sustainable actions. The company's actions and marketing is consistent and carries through with the values." says Marina Vahtola, the chairman of the award board.

The Award was announced at the Suuri brändipäivä event, organised by the Chamber of Commerce on Thursday 7th of April 2022.

EDITORS’ CHOISE 2014

TERVA Linen-tencel one of Editors' choises 2014
The new linen-tencel is a material like no other

The Association of Interiors Journalists has selected the 12 best Finnish interior design products yearly from 1999. 2014 one of Editors' choises are Lapuan Kankurit's new innovative linen-tencel bathtextiles TERVA and KIVI. The award-winning products are a combination of beautiful form, deeper thought and problem-solving ability. The designers and manufacturers have made concrete actions to make our daily life easier and environmentally friendly.

Lapuan Kankurit has developed a soft and highly absorbent technical textile that takes the pleasure of bathing to a whole new level.
The linen-tencel innovated by Esko Hjelt, the managing director of Lapuan Kankurit, is the result of a long product development process. The new material offers superior quality and absorption, especially in bathing products, one of the main product groups of Lapuan Kankurit. Esko Hjelt is excited about the new addition.
"Linen-tencel is considerably softer and more absorbent than cotton, for example. The production process is very eco-friendly, conserving water and nature more effectively than many other materials. Both linen and Tencel, which is made from wood pulp, are natural products, and that's important to us. Tencel is a European innovation, and all of the linen used by Lapuan Kankurit is made from flax grown and spun in Europe."

Managing Director Esko Hjelt sees technical innovation as vitally important for a weaving mill that focuses on quality and wants to succeed in international markets.
"At Lapuan Kankurit, we have spent years building an export network for our high-quality designs. With tough competition and us being a small mill, we have to stay technically ahead of our competitors and keep innovating superior products, if we are to stay at the top of the game. At the same time, we have to be able to get the message across about the quality, eco-friendliness and responsible approach of our business."

TERVA textiles are also part of Finnish Design Yearbook 2014–2015

TENCEL® is a registered trademark of Lenzing. It is made from wood pulp using environmentally friendly methods. Dubbed the "new age fibre", Tencel is a natural material suitable for bathing and sports products and other applications requiring high absorption capacity.

www.lenzing.com/produkte/tencel-tm

ORNAMO SPHERE 2017 AWARD

This year’s Ornamo Sphere will be presented to Finnish weavers Lapuan Kankurit for their long-standing commitment to the Finnish textile industry during a period of sustained change and for their skill in making successful use of Finnish expertise in design. The company’s ongoing investment in its weaving facilities and its considerable commercial success on the global market are an inspiring example for all.

The award has been dealt since 1961, and the company received it as acknowledgement of their exemplary work in design. The award is a miniature sculpture designed by Timo Sarpaneva. The Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo is an expert organisation for designers, founded in 1911, and it promotes the role of design in society. Lapuan Kankurit received the award on December 13, 2017.

Managing Director Esko Hjelt says that the company is very proud of this acknowledgement, which they were awarded in honour of Finland's centenary of independence. "Even we are small family business, we strive to use our resources also for common good", Hjelt says. "We have been investing during the last years a great amount to our weaving mill and new weaving technology in Lapua and we feel that's also important for to keep the Finnish textile industry alive."

Lapuan Kankurit is known for their textiles, which are woven from natural and authentic materials. Cooperating with Finnish designers and students is an essential part of their business. Already over the half of the sales comes from export, mainly from Asian and middle European countries.

The company has worked with such designers as Young Designer of the Year 2017 Reeta Ek, Anu Leinonen, Marja Rautiainen, Teemu Järvi, Mifuko, Aoi Yoshizawa, Heini Riitahuhta, Matti Pikkujämsä, Laura Laivamaa, Makoto Kagoshima and Masaru Suzuki.

With the original instructions provided by the museums in Tampere, Lapuan Kankurit weaves also Dora Jung's designs. Cooperation with Aalto University includes the students spending a week at the weaving mill in Lapua. The students also design patterns for Lapuan Kankurit. In fact, the beautiful scarf design by young Heta Vajavaara was chosen for this winter's collection.

Jaana Hjelt, Marketing Director, +358 50 3381993, jaana.hjelt@lapuankankurit.fi

Esko Hjelt, CEO, +358 500 463084, esko.hjelt@lapuankankurit.fi

MUOTO 2015 AWARD

The CORONA blanket in 100% wool designed by Finnish textile designer Marja Rautiainen was awarded with the Finnish MUOTO 2015 prize.

TAITO-FINLANDIA 2014 AWARD

Lapuan Kankurit was awarded the Taito-Finlandia 2014 award. The purpose of the national Taito-Finlandia Award is to make the public aware of excellent crafts enterprises and to show that devotion to skill gives impetus to success.

MUOTO 2012 AWARD

The KASTE and LÄHDE collection by Finnish textile designer Anu Leinonen in 100% washed linen was awarded with the highly valued Finnish MUOTO 2012 prize.