What’s new: Lapuan Kankurit’s Osmankäämi textiles
Beautiful linen textiles have been woven in Finland at the own weaving mill of Lapuan Kankurit for decades.
OSMANKÄÄMI TEXTILES by Lapuan Kankurit celebrate Finnish nature with their delicate textures and nuanced colors. The napkins and tablecloths, suitable for both everyday use and festive occasions, are decorated with a vivid print designed by Elina Helenius. The pattern pays tribute to the half-century-long history of the family-owned business.
Osmankäämi collection includes tablecloths and napkins suitable for day-to-day use as well as for festive events.
The multi-purpose Osmankäämi linen cloth completes the table settings as a tablecloth but also works as a thin blanket in the summer heat, a curtain at the window, or a picnic blanket on the beach, for example.
Osmankäämi towel is also very versatile: it can be used as a kitchen towel, for drying hands in the bathroom, and as a napkin for table settings.
The roots of Lapuan Kankurit go back several generations. The company started as a felt boot company, founded by Juho Annala, in Lapua in 1917. They began weaving fabrics over a decade later, in the 1930s – the name of the brand accurately translates to “Weavers of Lapua”.
Juho's son, Juha Hjelt, who had worked in the family's weaving mill since he was a young boy, founded the current Lapuan Kankurit with his wife Liisa. In 2023, Lapuan Kankurit will celebrate its golden jubilee: it's been 50 years since the couple Hjelt started to produce high-quality home textiles from linen cloths and throws to towels and napkins.
The delightfully vivid Osmankäämi pattern is a tribute to Liisa Hjelt, the first designer of Lapuan Kankurit.
Liisa Hjelt left her mark on the history of Lapuan Kankurit - and the décor of many Finnish homes - not only as the founder but also in another way: she worked as the first textile designer of Lapuan Kankurit. Her works include the beloved Osmankäämi wall hangings, for which Liisa drew inspiration from Finnish nature with its rich plants and flora – “Osmankäämi” is Finnish for “Typha”, which is a genus of tall vertical herbs.
Elina Helenius, who works as the company's chief designer, has paid tribute to Liisa's legacy by updating the Osmankäämi collection to the 2020s. Plants continue their carnival in the lovely pattern now adorning tablecloths and towels instead of wall tapestries.
The original Osmankäämi textiles were woven from jacquard, but nowadays the material is 100% linen.
It is not necessary to iron the linen napkin – small wrinkles and creases give it a relaxed, natural look.
The original Osmankäämi textiles were made from jacquard, but now the material is easygoing and lightweight linen. Textiles are still woven in Lapua Kankurit's weaving mill, in the middle of the Ostrobothnian fields – as it was already decades ago.
See also:
• Lapuan Kankurit's Osmankäämi tablecloth >
• All products by Lapuan Kankurit >
• Read also: Lapuan Kankurit – high-class linen from Finland >
Text: Susa Pääkkönen Images: Lapuan Kankurit
Published on 9 Mar, 2023
