Welcome to Pöytyä, the Land of Misfits.
The Myssy Year 2021Our year started with a Finnish wool boom that took us to the national tv and made everyone speak about the waste and use of domestic wool. It had been fifteen years since Janne knitted the first Myssy in the Alps of Davos, CH. All those years of talking about the awesome quality and great percentage of waste of Finnish wool, and the Finn Wool Boom was finally here.
Paris Fashion week or any of the expos didn’t take place and all sales went online and videos of all possible hats were produced in a studio in Turku. However, the Hot Season of Pöytyä video could only be filmed live in Pöytyä during the real hot season in February.
The global knitting boom had turned into a huge Icelandic sweater boom in Finland, and we wanted to offer a domestic option. First ever Myssy sweater Lato was launched as a true Finnish sweater of true organic Finnish Finnsheep wool. Knit Your First Sweater was a lock down project that succeeded in March.
All Myssy team members wanted to knit their own and at the very moment we have seven ready or almost ready (the sleeves don’t count, right?) Lato sweaters at the office. Knitting is highly addictive, be aware. Anna lost her case already after the first one and is on to her fourth Lato.
When the snow finally melted, Myssy Beret, Myssy hat and Nomadi hat were launched.
In April we launched the wool contract production model as the first company in Finland. Also the wool producers finally got out to the green pastures and said “Bäää-ää”.
Pöytyä the Home of Myssy sweater followed and soon we had put together an entire Powered by Myssy product range of local products: Sweater, Farmer’s Wool Wash and a set of Local Bar Shampoos. And just so you know, we haven’t run out of ideas… Let the spring come and the sun shine again...
Financial Times pointed us as an essential player in the knitting business and placed the Myssy Grannies as part of their story in How to Spend It mag.
In June we held the annual stakeholder meeting at the headquarters and were happy to tell about 99% organic growth during the fiscal year that ended in Feb 2021. We were hoping to be able to arrange a true Myssy Fest, but perhaps summer 2022 is the time to rock the county.
In the summer we knitted Usva scarf and Myssy tank top, but we also went paddling to the Aura river next to us. Our SUP event Aurajoki SUP took place in July. The bravest participants paddled all the way from Myssy HQ, the starting point of Aurajoki paddling route, to Turku over 60 kilometers. With close to 40 participants the event was likely the largest stand up paddling journey in Finland this year.
Open doors and the Culture Rally of Aurajoki Official Tourism Route opened the autumn season. We packed hats like never before and more than 150 retailers in 16 countries received their own. We are not into the business of fashion, but into some knitwear made by Grannies. However, we are likely to be the fashion(?) brand in Finland that has the most significant retail list in Finland. The route from Pöytyä to Paris is surprisingly short.
And yes, in October it was time to return to Paris Fashion week. It was good to see that everybody seemed to be just waiting for us, the momentum for responsible concepts with authentic stories is now. Sticker per order was our principle and Myssy chics got it all right.
Our PR breakfast in Helsinki was followed with Lemmikki pet sheep wool hat with Stockmann department store, knitting live in Sokos Department store window downtown Helsinki, being part of the Viiden Jälkeen tv show and knitting on live radio.
Finn Fashion Friday united some Finnish fashion brands against Black Friday and we believe this event concept will keep growing.
And yes, then there was Vogue. It was awesome and yes, we have been contacted by so many parties that all asked, how did we do it. Perhaps it is now the time to reveal the secret. It is, it is, it is… years of hard work and not giving up! We really believe that the momentum for this business is now.
The winter has just begun and next year shall be greater than ever!
Happy New Year 2022!
- Myssy Team