Tiina Laakkonen has participated in the fashion industry in multiple roles over the course of three decades, seamlessly shifting from model to designer to editor. As a result, she’s amassed quite the impressive archive. Part of her treasure chest Comme Des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, ’90s Margiela, and Yves Saint Laurent. Now, for a charitable cause, Laakkonen is teaming up with Desert Vintage to host both an online and in person sale of her archive starting on June 10. “I’m happy for these clothes to be back in the world,” Laakkonen tells Vogue. “Just having them in the basement is kind of sad.” But Laakkonen is also parting ways with a sizable portion of her archive for altruistic reasons. She plans to donate proceeds from the sale towards the preservation of an architectural marvel the Church of the Three Crosses. Designed by the celebrated modernist Alvar Aalto, who completed the project in 1958, the church is located in Imarata, Finland—Laakkonen’s hometown. Laakonen has fond memories of visiting the tourist drawing site growing up. But the building has suffered serious water damage and is in need of major repairs. It has not been in use since 2020.
Laakkonen wants to raise and contribute as much money as she can towards the Church of the Three Crosses’ restoration. Selling her archive is one of the best ways she knows how. “I figured that in a way it would be nice to do something good with these things,” Laakkonen says. “Make money out of them, but put the money into something more meaningful. It was the right time and the right cause to let go.” ADVERTISEMENTIt also helps that Laakkonen’s minimalist wardrobe feels surprisingly fresh and wearable in today’s style landscape. “I’m impressed by how modern these clothes look today,” she says. These are clothes imbued with personal meaning, experiences, and, occasionally, one of ones that only someone with a personal relationship with brands and designers can procure. Take for example the bevy of early to mid ’80s Comme Des Garçons on offer. Laakkonen purchased many of the pieces while modeling for the brand. Then, as a design assistant at Chanel, where she worked under the late visionary Karl Lagerfeld, Laakkonen purchased more top notch luxury pieces (Saint Laurent, Chanel samples, etc.). “Karl used to joke about the fact that we both wore Comme, he said you and I, we wear the good stuff.” As Living Editor at Vogue, Laakkonen developed close relationships with various brands and designers and, as she puts its, “obviously with that life comes more good clothing.” A prime example was how Laakkonen connected with an, at the time, up and coming Alexander McQueen and received multiple items from him. Those pieces—featured in the iconic “Savage Beauty” exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum—are not up for sale, and won’t be anytime soon, Laakkonen says. “Those are the only things I’m keeping,” Laakkonen says.
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