Most people have a very limited scope of what “fashion” is, as an industry, an artform, and, indeed, its own little planet. When it comes to the people who are shifting the fashion landscape, typically, it’s designers—or, occasionally, stylists and models—who come to mind, but there are so many amazing minds out there that you (and I) have never heard of that are influencing not just how we dress, but also how we shop, and even how we approach and think about clothes.
When I think of the people who shaped my world as a young fashion lover, I think of Liisa Jokinen. But…I didn’t always know I was thinking of Liisa. Hel-Looks (short for Helsinki Looks) was a part of my earliest Internet Circuit. Before everything fun on the Internet got concentrated into, like, five apps (my high school ceramics classmate Kelsey McKinney actually wrote a great article about this, but I digress), I’d click through all the new pictures of Finnish strangers dressed in colorful outfits made up of a mix of secondhand and designers I’d never heard of, save the best ones to my Tumblr, and imagine myself in a cool European city getting photographed in my own layered skirts and plaid shoes (I had more than one pair of plaid shoes in high school) before moving on to Lookbook.nu and Makeoutclub.
Nearly 20 years later, imagine my shock at finding out the woman who created and runs another site that I practically live on—Gem, the secondhand clothing search engine—is the very same one that created my old haunt, Hel-Looks, as well as its New York-based counterpart, NYC-Looks.
They say don’t meet your heroes but, I think Liisa is a real gem. And no, not just because she runs Gem. I chatted with Liisa about secondhand clothes and personal style. My questions are in bold.
How did you get into secondhand/vintage? What made you love it?
I have always loved vintage! Ever since I was a little kid. Even then I was very particular about my clothes. I loved retro prints, my mother’s and relatives’ old clothes and just clothes that no one else had. This was in the 70s and 80s, before online shopping! The things we could buy were so limited to what people have nowadays. If I wanted to have the clothes and styles I wanted I either had to make or thrift them. And that’s what I did. I loved thrifting because it gave me access to so many styles – I could express myself much more and really experiment with my style. It has always been important to me not to wear the same things as the rest haha!
Why does vintage/secondhand make the best outfits, in your opinion?
When you shop vintage and secondhand, you have all the possible styles at your disposal: all decades, colors, cuts, item types. More opportunities and options. Whereas when you shop new clothes, you can only shop current/fashionable items. And when you combine different periods (like old and new, or y2k and 60s etc) your outfit will be just so much more interesting and imaginative, totally unique.
How would you say the attitudes toward vintage/secondhand have changed since you started Hel-Looks so many years ago?
Helsinkians have loved and shopped secondhand and vintage all this time, but now more than ever thrifting and vintage shopping is mainstream: all people, all ages, all genders do it. Whereas before, around 2005 when I launched Hel Looks, I think people were more into thrifting to get cheap and affordable stuff, kids would thrift because it was the cheapest way to get new clothes and experiment with styles. They also wore a lot of hand-me-downs from family and relatives. Now people buy all kinds of clothes secondhand: designer clothes, investment bags, sports clothes, everyday staple pieces. The attitudes have changed but also the market: it is easier to shop all kinds of used clothing items nowadays as there are so many ways to do it from flea markets to clothing swaps and online resale sites. There are also many more stores in Helsinki compared to 2005. Back then we only had a couple of curated vintage stores but now there are more and more both thrift and vintage stores. There are also more flea markets and thrifting events.
How do you think the fashion landscape has changed overall in that time? For the worse? Or for the better?
For the worse! We shop too much and pay too little for our clothes. This has led to the situation where we don’t appreciate our clothes as much as before. They are disposable and we don’t take good care of them. The wear per item is too low. And as we know, fashion is too fast. We need to make it slower, shop less and better, appreciate the materials, work, and craft that go into making a garment and people who make our clothes.
How do you pick an outfit? Do you start with a piece you really want to wear? A look you’re going for? Or something else?
Yes I think pretty often it starts with an item. Maybe I have not been wearing a piece for a long while and I want to give it more use. Or maybe the piece just suits the place I am going to, a person I am going to meet, the weather or just my mood at that point. I am a proud outfit repeater so sometimes dressing up is pretty fast but when I create new combinations it can take up to 30 mins before I am satisfied. I need to try the pieces on before I can decide if the outfit works or not.
Does streetwear photography influence your personal style at all? How?
Yes it does! Even before I started taking pics myself, street style photography was my style guide – I was a huge fan of the Japanes street style magazine Fruits (still am!), and even subscribed to Fruits and the sister magazines, and traveled to Tokyo to meet and interview Mr Shoichi Aoki, the founder of Fruits. Whenever I needed style inspiration, I would just open a random Fruits magazine and browse until I saw something that inspired me. At some point I stopped buying fashion magazines because I didn’t need them anymore! I would only continue buying Elle Collections to see the runway photos and trends nicely compiled. Nowadays I love photographing young kids and being subconsciously inspired by their style. It has been fun to notice how y2k influences have creeped into my style! Like crop tops, low rise pants, ties, etc.
Is there anything someone can wear that will immediately make you want to photograph them?
I recently realized what this is! When someone is doing Their Thing. Not copying others, or trends, but creating their own style and standing out from the crowd. I can’t give an example but when I see it, I know it! And then I run after this person to get the photo!
One of my favorite features on Gem is how you can save a search term and get e-mailed when there’s new results. What are your saved searches right now on Gem? (Mine are “gold boots” and “Dylan Lex”, in case you were wondering.)
Comme two piece, Comme set, Eckhaus Latta jeans, Cop Copine, Gaultier turtleneck, Internet is awesome (I desperately need a t-shirt with this print haha!), Prada platform loafers, Margiela H&M, Yoshiki Hishinuma, Todd Oldham
What are your biggest online vintage shopping tips (outside of using Gem, of course)? Any tips for shopping in brick-and-mortar stores?
Know your measurements! Know how to take them, save them on your phone, and check them once in a while as our bodies tend to change. Do not overshop. Think how you would wear the piece before you make the purchase. Can you make at least three different outfit combinations out of it with your existing wardrobe? Do YOU really love it or are you buying it because it is something that “everyone” is wearing and that’s why you feel you should have one too? Of course it is ok to follow trends but it should not be the guiding principle when shopping. Shop and dress for yourself, not for others. Your clothes are supposed to make YOU feel good and happy!
Can you recall any amazing brick-and-mortar thrift stores/vintage stores you’ve encountered through your travels/life? What made them stand out?
There are too many to list! The ones I remember best are the ones where I purchased something. Some favorites are Mercy Vintage in Oakland, Vacation SF in San Francisco, Sleeper in Los Angeles, Gaijin in Paris… Pretty Penny was the first vintage store I visited when we moved from Helsinki to San Francisco and that’s why I will remember it forever!