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by Rosanne Martens @ rosannemartens
M U S T
Nieve de Limón
S E
Mustang (2016) by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Hair is soft and I remember very well the
lovely and shiny long hair of the 5 main
characters of Mustang. The movie in itself
speaks from the softness and strength of 5
sisters that want freedom while living in a
misogynistic and conservative world.
E A
Blueberry muffin from Victoria’s Cafe and
Bakery (Simonkatu 10 and Välimerenkatu
14, Helsinki). This Spanish place has the best
pastries  both savory and sweet that I have
had in Helsinki. Also try the Churros with
chocolate.  last time about my dissertation on Finnish
R E A D
Los Sueños de Helena (Helena’s
Dreams) by Eduardo Galeano and
illustrated by Isidro Ferrer (my favorite
illustrator) Galeano writes the dreams that
his wife Helena remembers having, and then
Isidro creates the perfect scenography for
each one of them.  scratch? Would she want to live her life in
L I S T E N
Mother Earth’s Plantasia by Mort Garson is
a 1976 electronic album ahead of its time.
Mort created it specifically for plants to listen
to. Whenever I need to focus or study, you
can call me Daisy because this one does the
trick for me.
by DJ Kuumaliima
M i x t a p e #
D J K u u m
1. Dina Ögon, Daniel Ögren & Anna Ahnlund - Efter natten 2. Domenique Dumont - Le soleil
dans le monde 3. Kytäjä - Time and tide wait for no man 4. Vanishing Twin - Phase one million
5. Oko Ebombo - Feelings 6. The Gentleman Losers - Swimming after dark 7. Ray Barbee
- Ocra vs jaba 8. Time is a Mountain - Von hollmer 9. Rhye - Open 10. Veli - Aamuaurinko
11. Lessons - Secret knowledge
by @myrtillius
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DisregardedSoftness
Nieve de Limón
The softest part in my body at the moment
I write these words, is my stomach. It is
round and a bit in the way of my wishes, but
no matter what, it remains soft and smooth.
Sometimes it is the place where my food
babies are born, other times it is where my
cramps hurt the most but usually it is just
! a part of me I chose to ignore. I will keep it
warm until sun surprises me again.
E L e t t i n g G o
Mark Inchoko
I rowed myself back to shore in the morning
fog, not knowing whether to turn back to
Suomenlinna where she was asleep, or to
catch the next plane back to Los Angeles and
just forget the whole thing. The wind blew
T towards the island, cutting me in the face as
I tried to make my way from the boat onto
shore.  skin, watermelon, and rocks.
I didn’t know why I continued to fight for
my course. There was nothing left for me in
California except to face my teachers one
Birdsongs. It seemed dumb to leave a woman
to finish a degree that I had stopped believing
in, as much as one finds out that Santa Claus
is not real. The thought of staying here in this
country for another day was motivated purely
by her, but how to bring her to LA? Would
she want to go? Would she have to start from
America? Maybe I’d be happier here, instead.
I figured I’d go ask her. With the gentle wind
cradling me and the sun’s early morning glow
on the horizon, I rowed back.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
G l o s s o l a l i a
S o f t / P e h m e a
Spanish//Español (by Nieve de Limón)
 ¡Qué suave!  :  cool!
Suavecito para abajo, para abajo, para abajo.  valat mua raudasta, kullasta, helmiäisestä
Suavecito para arriba, para arriba, para arriba.
: song by Azul Azul
Suavemente, bésame
Que quiero sentir tus labios
Besándome otra vez : song by Elvis Crespo
English// (by Long-winded Mary)
Softer than a baby’s bottom : super soft and
supple
Soft core : lighter than hardcore
Soft in the head : not so smart
Have a soft spot for : especially care for
March comes in like a lion, out like a lamb :
how spring arrives in March (in some places)
Peach fuzz : soft hair, especially on a
prepubescent face
Softie : a sentimental person
Finnish//Suomi (by Han Lei)
Pehmeä kuin vauvan peppu : soft as a baby’s
butt
1 6 / / S O F T
a l i i m a
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# 1 6
DECEMBER/
J O U L U K U U
2021
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FREEFREEFREEFREEFREEFREEFREEFREE <3 ILMAINENILMAINENILMAINENILMAINEN
Dearest softies,
I look for your footprints in the snow. I imagine you
are hibernating beneath a pile of blankets, so the
harsh cold doesn’t reach your toes. Does the slant
morning sun reach your face? Or do the heavy
curtains filter through only an inkling of time? I
can see a trail maybe scurrying to get food
or to the local watering hole. More
bodies mean more warmth at
least. Maybe you’ll steam up the
window and draw some hearts
for strangers. Are you counting
down the days? I’m dreaming
in summer oases with warm
It’s hard to see in the sand,
but I can see your signs of
life floating around town in the
dusting of snow. I hope I don’t
lose you in the darkness. I’ll
come wake you up in the light.
Coziest wishes,
Long-winded Mary & Salarakas
{ {
for conversations & contributions:
insta: @salarakashel
email: salarakashel@hotmail.com
phono: 0452510121 for love notes. <3
uksiut
by Evi Rinkinen @evitarleena
ei rakkaus ole pehmeää, kulta, se ei ole puuvillaa poskella
vaikka pitkään niin luulin. se on syvää rikasta paksua
sen läpi ei näe, se taivuttaa: kauan sitten luu on kasvanut
vinoon ja silti seisomme suolla, yhdessä
itkettää, että onni on uutta; surettaa, että ilo yllättää
rakkaus – pahaa verta, joka vuodatetaan hallitusti hankeen
hiljaiset hämärät iltapäivät, niiden ylle hengitämme – ne valaistuvat
ei tämä ole pehmeää, ei tämä ole pumpulia
asetat paikalleen sen, mikä oli nyrjähtänyt
maailma on mutella kun lasken käteni suhun
aamuisin kylkesi hohkaavat, sen melkein näkee
tässä on jotain niin helvetin hyvää että hajottaa
miksen etsinyt tätä rakkautta aiemmin?
saan painaa kasvot sun vatsalle, seikkailla, löytää
jotain kovaa, ah, tää kaikki on niin lempeää
se painaa mut kasaan, tekee musta tiiviin
hyvästi, ontot päivät! en enää pysy vakan alla!
it’s not soft, love, it’s much better
by Rosanne Martens @ rosannemartens
KiTTu
Maatilalla, murhe, mitataan,
milleittäin, messingissä, malmilla,
meiramilla, mullalla, myydyissä,
myyrissä, muksuissa, mustelmilla,
miksa Michelangelo muistanut
maalata minua?
Liha, lempii, lotisee, lerpattaa,
LÄMPEÄÄ, LIIKAA, lopettakaa.
Luissa, lyhdyissä, lämpöpatterin,
luona, lasken, liitelen, luulen, laulan,
lisää, laskeudun. Lesken, likellä, luotan,
lempeyteen.
Saimaalla,
sairastan,
suloista,
sisätautia,
seppeleitä,
seinällä,
saarella,
sukellan.
by KiTTu
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S T R I
L I
F O
Sara St. Clair
I.
The delicate art of un and tying knots.
Two bodies indistinguished.
Security, stability, closeness.
Blind to the core
trust.
The knot tightens
the stress of two
separating
within,
without understanding
where they breathe
where we contract.
A part of self left
in our body:
remnants in our connection.
Inka Lähteenaro @inkalaht
C r o s s w o r d / /
Ristisanatehtävä
#16 LWM
ACROSS
1. Unit of energy or U.S. state,
abbr.
Answers are in English except when it’s a translation or a specific cultural term. All accents should be ignored. The puzzle is shamelessly Helsinki and foreigner inspired.
4. Belém, Brazil Airport code
8. Masturbates, slang
12. 2nd vinyl face
14. From the Middle East or
North Africa
15. Hydrox cookie competitor
16. Business people department
17. Texas home of the Cowboys
19. A warning of danger or to
wake up
20. Soft materials in a room help
these properties
22. Letters to a Young Poet
senior
23. “Killing Me Softly with His
Song” Roberta
24. Soft fastener
26. With quar- quin- or sex-
27. If the largest continent
introduced itself? “Hi! ___”
29. Social media giant, abbr.
31. Māori god of forests and
birds
33. 6,080 feet, abbr.
34. Help!, Finnish
36. Traveling DWN RT?
39. Oldest wheat
41. Opposite of future
47. 10 ml
43. Hot savory smoothie
44. Before Jr.
45. Sea between Greece and
Turkey
48. German neutral article
51. Soft fuzzy lux fabric
53. Rich soft fabric or soft toy
55. “Full steam _____!”
58. Spotted American horse
breed
60. Condition of cloudiness
61. Super soft or thin paper
62. Short album
63. Italian meat sauce
64. King, queen, double, twin
65. Cursed
67. Finnish man’s name
68. Bondage, abbr.
69. Still, even, nevertheless
DOWN
1. The softest shape
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N G PehmeäPenkki D O U B L E
N K Inka Lähteenaro @inkalaht ¡ i n t e r v i e w e x c l u s i v e !
&
Kun lähden tästä raitiovaunusta nousee
R M penkkini pehmeä päällyste hitaasti
luomistani uomista. Penkillä on taas tilaa
hengittää vapaammin, ojennella karvaisia @softislab @seamshelsinki
sormiaan harmaata kattoa kohti ja
kuunnella raiteiden kolinaa.  SEAMS x Softislab Softislab x SEAMS
Nähdä ne maisemat, joita en ole enää Softislabs’ statement is “Soft is What is Seams Helsinki and what does the
näkemässä: toisiaan kohti kaatuvat RADICAL”. What does it mean to you? name stand for?
ihmiset, Mäkelänkadun ylväät puut ja Soft is radical is our statement of yearning Seams Helsinki is an open collective in
kerääntyvät jonot. Ohi vilahtavan asvaltin, for better and more compassionate search of a new kind of local and sincerely
joka osaa peittää alleen kaiken elävän. futures in the textile and fashion fields. It sustainable fashion culture. Our current
Uimahallin, jonka ikkunassa aurinko means allowing softness to be more than working methods include workshops on
valaisee altaaseen kaatuvan selän, jolloin a tactile sensation. different textile techniques and different
pehmeän penkin ja alastoman selän You had an amazingly cool pilot for a themes on sustainable and regenerative
välissä on hetken vain lasi ja liike. shared textile laboratory happening fashion and reading groups on fashion
Penkki on nähnyt paljon hetkiä, joissa in Kalasatama last August. What was research literature. We want to explore new
matkustajat sekoittavat adrenaliinin ja the biggest takeaway for you about the ways of changing the local culture, and
rakkauden keskenään. Ja sen, kuinka experience? definitely don’t want to limit ourselves there
kukaan ei enää halua koskea kahvoihin. The biggest takeaway may have been by drawing strict lines of what we do or do
Kohta penkin syliin taittuu taas uusi the importance of prototyping. Not not do. We are always on the lookout for and
ihminen ja vaatteen kankainen tuntu. that we would not have known this in open to new ideas when people bring their
Jokaisen istujan iholle hän laskee the context of a design process – yes, suggestions to us. Our big dream is to one
katseellaan hitaasti kukkia. surely. But striving to build a space for day open a space where everyone can come
Koko päivän pehmeä penkki ajaa innovative textile development and the and share their textile working skills and in
raitiovaunun mukana vain sinne minne community around it, we had to make exchange learn from other people.
ihminen ylettää.  this prototype in order to have a very We like to think of seams as a perfect
tangible understanding of the big picture metaphor for a space where two things
formed by all the details to be considered meet and combine, as the point of contact
in a platform like this one. At the same and where all the good stuff happens.
time, this is also a great reminder of why Like with kintsugi, which is a centuries old
we need a space like this – just how repair technique, the point is not to make
important it is for a designer to be able to an invisible joint, but underline the coming
prototype in order to gain new knowledge together, and being held in place.
of their design. Is the path to more diverse, local, and
This is not a trick question. What is empathetic fashion culture soft or hard?
softer than soft? The path to a more sustainable world is often
Our “office” dog Usma - a very fluffy seen as hard, and it for sure isn’t easy. It’s
samoyed dog, especially now that she’s also often perceived as having to let go of
just been washed and groomed - materiality, of depriving ourselves, but we
What is something that’s surprisingly want to turn this upside down and point to all
soft? the resources that already exist in the world
The seaside stones hugged by the waves and to how can we work with that. Our hope
What is hard but should be soft? is to make the journey to that new world fun,
The textile and fashion industry. We playful and soft like cotton candy.
need a radical move towards building Softislabs’ statement is “Soft is
the future on kindness and empathy to RADICAL”. What does it mean to you?
all the peoples (humans, non-humans, We think that togetherness, connection, and
environments) involved in or touched by knowledge sharing are radical acts in a world
the industry and its actions. Being gentle focused on individualism, profit, and progress.
and caring needs to become permanently We do this by getting people together to
cool whereas being ignorant and hard on teach each other new ways of reusing,
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
others is inevitably passé. creating, mending and thinking about the
12 13 14 15 What’s almost as good as soft? things we wear, use, and consume each day.
Gentle? Fluffy? Or maybe Mushy? It is a soft act of defiance in the face of forces
16 17 18 19
Another way of thinking about this for us that are actively causing the destruction of
20 21 22 is Scents – they precede the experience the world.
of touching, connecting the present with If you had the opportunity to form
23 24 25
our memories. Some textile processes imaginative seams between two concepts
26 27 28 29 30
have pleasant or surprising smells. We or entities in our society, what would they
did some natural dyes at our pilot project, be and why?
31 32 33 34 35 so on some days the space was filled with We do not want to sound preachy, but we
scents of aronia mitschurinii and turmeric. would create a clear and direct connection
36 37 38 39 40
Can soft be dangerous? from our consumption habits to the means
41 42 43 Soft things can be dangerous. Think of production, meaning western consumers
about quicksand that escapes from under to the workers in the global south. We
44 45 46 47 48 49 50
your feet, or the beautiful red hues of would form an imaginative handshake from
51 52 53 54 a Nordic swamp moss that suddenly individual shopping decisions, those concrete
swallow anybody daring to go too far. moments, to the concrete act of the product
55 56 57 58 59
That’s what’s happening with us and being made, including the human and
60 61 62
our current way of life – or the way we environment costs. This realisation would
still consume fashion. Soft things have probably have an enormous potential to
63 64 65 66 a dangerous side, if we walk too far into be a driving force in reducing unnecessary
the sand or the swamp without paying and harmful ways of consuming. Circular
67 68 69
attention to our surroundings. The economy solutions won’t be enough to turn
question might also be: dangerous the tables, we need to start preserving
2. CE formerly 46. Germanic gothic tribe who to whom? Maybe and using what we already have
3. French architect Eugène defeated the Huns the descriptive quicksand is created, instead of making more.
Viollet- 47. Alien, Letter addition, Text, abbr.s there to protect other Our solution is to bring repair back
4. Mouth juice 49. Claim, affirm creatures from to everyday life of everyday
5. Supports 50. Form us. people.
6. Part of the beat that makes 51. Not clear If you could be textile/
you wiggle 52. American ice cream brand and garment, what would you be
7. Author White of Charlotte’s woman’s name
and would you have seams or
Web 54. Godfather of streamlined design
8. Leaf of paper; or foil, Finnish 55. Soft hair halo be seamless?
9. Dried sea between 56. Helsinki student housing org. If Seams Helsinki was a garment,
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan 57. Bird baby vessel it would probably be some pretty
10. To liven up or a small 59. Comparison word colourful thing, sewn together
benefit 64. Double letter Dear out of many different kinds of
11. Not all 66. ö letters fabrics - it would definitely not be
12. 70’s crime drama based in (#15 - solution) seamless haha! It would bring
Harlem
together different materials and
13. Soaking up the sun
18. Lieutenant, abbr. textures, working together in
19. Sound a pirate makes interesting and new ways,
25. Men’s shirt, Spanish just like we like to bring
28. An agave plant used to people together. If we
make alcohol have to choose one
29. Soft animal hair garment, it could be an
30. Prohibit overall, to represent
36. Route-finding technology
our maker
37. Boat paddle
38. Raised mentality!
40. No more, French
Inka Lähteenaro @inkalaht
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