Klaus Haapaniemi

Klaus Haapaniemi (born 1970) has had plenty of coverage recently in the Finnish as well as foreign media. His CV of design work is impressive: garment prints for Diesel, Levis, Marimekko, Dolce & Gabbana, Cacharel and Bela's Dead, a new brand. He has also worked as Creative Director of the Italian fashion house Bantam, published a book entitled 'Giants' together with the Finnish writer Rosa Liksom, produced illustrations for the Observer newspaper, shown his work in exhibitions - and done a few other things in between. The international WGSN trend analysis service has dubbed him as one of the most important rising stars in illustration and design.

The international media often refer to Klaus Haapaniemi's Finnish roots, and even the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, has been mentioned. It is true that his illustrations have references to folklore; both Slav and Japanese influences also have a strong presence.