TAUKO portraits - Salla Pentikäinen

• Studies to become a laborant

• Was born in Järvenpää, Finland 1977

• Her favourite place at the moment is the new photography museum K1 at Kämp Galleria. 

• The best thing this year for her has been the celebration of everyday things, ordering food to her home from favourite restaurant without special occation

• Wears: Cella shirt in drizzle grey and Wish trousers dark blue

• Topics we talked about: travelling

• Helsinki restaurant recommendations: Kuurna and Toca

“Nautiskelija” is a Finnish word that has a Winnie-the-Pooh-kind of tone to it. Salla, one of our first customers, belongs to the kin of nautiskelijat.  She is a connaisseur, a person that really enjoys life in all its beauty, tastes and feelings. There is a certain kind of basic trust and groundness in her that makes her treasure the little treats life offers. And she has a lot of curiosity, which takes her to travel around the globe. She tells me that she is dreaming of the trans-siberia train, stepping out in Mongolia and landing in one of her favourite travel destinations: Japan.

**

There is a big world map from 1968 behind Salla when our video call from Schöneberg, Berlin to Kruununhaka, Helsinki starts. It fits perfectly as the background of the world traveller I’m chatting with. 

A few years back Salla stopped flying for her travels and has ever since been travelling by land and sea. All the way from Helsinki to Iceland, the Lofotes and by Interrail to Bosnia Herzegovina. She proved that travelling is possible and very enjoyable without using air traffic. For years, the two of us have been sharing travel tips on how to get around, and what are the things to explore in the different journeys. And now, in the video call, it is not any different: I learn that the best way to get from Helsinki towards Central-Europe is by ferry to Stockholm, and to reach the Asian wonders – well, dreaming of taking the trans-siberia train!

It is easy to see very vividly all the places Salla talks about. The amazing nature of Iceland, one of her beloved travel destinations, and the endlessly alluring Tokyo, her favourite city of all. Though the excitement of new places is always there, Tokyo’s magic reveals itself when returning time after time to the same places. Getting a grasp of this metropolis was built by experiencing its layered, endlessly unfolding beauty. The appealing power of the city is in this profusion: there is always something new to explore, something a little bit hidden that forces one to look closer. And its contrasts: the crazy neon lights within the never-ending buzzing of the city paired with the peacefulness of its temples.

What is common to Salla’s favourite travel destinations are their aesthetics. The certain ordery preciseness and minimalism of Japanese design and the vast landscapes of Iceland  feel endlessly appealing. In both, there is space for breathing and yet always that little peculiar element which may open up totally new worlds in looking at the minimalist calligraphy or Nordic volcanic landscape. 

What Salla brings back home from her travels are beautiful postcards from Japan she gives to her friends and family. But also rhythms, colors and visual images that she explores in her memories. For being able to take part in Salla’s travels by designing some of her essential travel wardrobe, sharing these ideas of aesthetics is always an inspiring process. The versatile and urban travel kit we have developed has become part of TAUKO’s core designs.

For Salla, travelling back to Japan, via Siberia, Mongolia and China is currently merely a dream. And although ramen from Tokyo is unbeatable, there are luckily the chewy buns of Kuurna available in her apartment block. As Salla enjoys exploring new cultures, she is also very keen on the deep dive of the urban microcosmos around her. The local independent restaurant scene in Helsinki has taken a big leap during the past five years, and Salla is the master of it. She gets to play the expert in giving recommendations of the best restaurants in town. For the many that get mentioned during our conversation, one keeps on getting back to the talk. Kuurna: The little restaurant, taken over a few years back by its own staff, has now a little kiosk with the best tacos in town. The kiosk is one of the few yellow sunny spots of Helsinki that has been reactivated by local businesses. Originally built in the 1950’s the wooden yellow kiosks were unused for decades. For this spring, Kuurna’s tacos, served from one of the kiosks in downtown Helsinki,  were one of the most enjoyable treats for Salla; her “little pot of honey”.

When I last saw Salla in person at our studio store in Helsinki back in July, she was about to take her friend to taste the famous tacos of Kuurna. Salla and her friend started to tell me with a lot of sparkles in their eyes, how Salla gives her friend some of Salla’s old TAUKO pieces that are not fit for Salla anymore. During our call, Salla returns to her friend: she thinks that the TAUKO clothes should not be just passed on, but that it is important to find a person who treats them with the same love and care as she did. To be able to pass on the TAUKO garments for the new users we have been working on developing the Kinship collection.

The love and care Salla has for TAUKO clothes and her taste for minimalist aesthetics shows how treasuring the things she finds in life make them enjoyable. Giving them the value they have; I would even conclude that this is how one turns to be a “nautiskelija”. By the end of our video call, I’m convinced to adapt Salla’s habit of arranging “Monday dates” since weekends are anyhow nice, hoping to have a little bit more of the Winnie -the-pooh-ness for my upcoming autumn. 

Text: Mila Moisio

Photos: Laura Oja