E. L. Karhu and Henna Lampinen - From Text to Textile - Discussion

Author E. L. Karhu and fashion designer Henna Lampinen discuss Karhu's work To My Brother and how the book's themes - otherness, desire, and fat embodiment - can shift from words into material, form, and wearable clothing. The focus is on the novel's protagonist Sisko: how does she appear in the text, and how can she be approached through garments?

Lampinen is the designer of the Clothing Library project and has been inspired by To My Brother in this work. Karhu and Lampinen reflect together on the intersection of literature and fashion, and how one art form can open new ways of thinking about fat bodies, identity, and desire in another.

E. L. Karhu (born 1982) is an author and dramaturg who graduated from the Theatre Academy's dramaturgy programme in 2008. Her most well-known works are the novel To My Brother (2021) and the plays Eriopis - Medea's Survivor Daughter Tells All (2020) and Princess Hamlet (2017). Karhu's plays have been performed worldwide, particularly in Germany.

Henna Lampinen is a fashion designer whose work is guided by a sustainable future and a desire to challenge fashion norms - especially those that define which bodies fashion is made for. In 2023, she was chosen as Young Designer of the Year for a competition entry addressing body shame.

The event is organised as part of the Clothing Library project. Places are limited - register by sending a message to vaatekirjasto@gmail.com.