It's a little odd that there is a very big proportion of Scandinavian designers that I cover on the blog and in particular, shoe designers hailing from those NOrthern parts are quite numerous.  I have noticed that there is a a common thread linking all these designers in that they are able to design things that transcend trends and that have their own voice that is often rooted in where they come from.  This is certainly true of Terhi Pölkki, a Cordwainers graduate, whose new label Teriteja [1] aims to reflect Polkki's Finnish background and culture.  No flags tacked onto the shoes thank god but it's 'The heritage of the empty land' that inspires her work and for SS08, she has used reindeer leather (apologies to Rudolph fans...) and curly birch in organic forms that mould onto feet.  Organic is another one of those words that I use when talking about Scandi designers (I don't mean to NOT differentiate between all the countries but it is a handy umbrella term!) and perhaps it is their exposure to the wonderful expanse of natural environments that results in these shoe shapes.   

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