Feature: vitunleija® ‘Lo Capsule Collection Debuts at NYFW

vitunleija® was founded by Bakari Diarra in 2018. Since its establishment, vitunleija® has been defining what it means to be a streetwear brand in the era of social media. In just over six years, the brand has become an icon in the Finnish fashion industry, merging into the music scene as well. In 2024 vitunleija® won “Most Engaging Social Media" at the first ever Finnish Fashion Awards.

The vitunleija® ’lo Capsule Collection pays homage to the brand’s deep roots in streetwear and hip-hop culture. It reimagines items like the traditional polo shirt, transforming them from their origins with a more conservative audience to a key piece in contemporary youth culture, influenced by figures like Chief Keef.

The Capsule Collection consists of classic items such as polo shirts, dad caps, t-shirts, and tracksuits, drawing inspiration from the outfits of their favorite artists from the early 2010s, and the sound, look, and vibe of the era. The collection includes a reimagined version of the iconic Polo Ralph Lauren logo, where instead of featuring the traditional polo-playing character that symbolizes old money, the logo now depicts a character inspired by the style and aesthetics of Chicago drill rappers.

In true streetwear fashion, the collection features classic styles with boxier, reinterpreted fit, with heavyweight fabrics crafted of 100% cotton. The items feature either embroidered or printed graphics.

The brand could be considered a vanguard, with its actions being mimicked by many. vitunleija®is about more than clothing and music: as its name in Finnish suggests, at its core, vitunleija® is about being fly as fuck.

Photos Courtesy of vitunleija®
Instagram: vitunleija®
Website: vitunleija®

GR8T Magazine caught up with vitunleija® for their insight on their brand and collection debut at NYFW.

It’s your first NYFW - Congratulations! How do you feel entering the US market at the most exciting and important time of the year in fashion?

It’s an honor to be here. A lot of our biggest inspirations and influences are from New York, so it feels like a full circle moment.

vitunleija® has redefined streetwear in the social media era. How do you think social media has impacted the evolution of your brand since its inception in 2018?

Social media is one of our biggest tools. We’ve grown in social media and with it being such a huge part of the brand, we’ve learned to adapt to the fast trend cycles of it. We never had any outside financing or paid marketing, so social media has been the platform for us to reach our audiences.

Your brand has seamlessly integrated into both fashion and music scenes in Finland. How do you approach designing for these two creative industries?

They really go hand in hand and quite naturally. Whether it’s our design team or the rappers performing at our live shows, we’re all friends at the end of the day. It’s mostly about “what we could do together”.

Winning "Most Engaging Social Media" at the Finnish Fashion Awards is a significant achievement. What strategies do you use to connect with your audience on social media?

We approach social media quite impulsively to keep the raw feeling. A lot of the times when we’re shooting new lookbook photos, they’ll be online within two hours of the shoot. Everything is done in house, so everyone involved has a great understanding of the brands identity. While we work fast, we work super surely.

What can we expect from vitunleija®’s debut collection at NYFW? Are there any particular influences or themes you’re exploring with this collection?

The classic fashion week cycle, collection based creating has never really been our focus. Alongside our already established classic pieces we’re presenting the vitunleija® ’lo Capsule Collection. It pays homage to our deep roots in streetwear and hip-hop culture. The capsule collection reimagines the items like the traditional polo shirt, transforming them from their origins with a more conservative audience to a key piece in contemporary youth culture, influenced by figures like Chief Keef.

vitunleija® has become an iconic brand in Finland. How do you plan to translate that success to the international stage, particularly in the competitive NYFW environment?

We believe best things happen quite naturally. You could call us coming here a market study, we’re poking around and seeing what our place would be in the international stage. The scene we’ve got going on in Helsinki is really vibrant and special. While we’re pushing our own agenda, vitunleija® is also a front for all of Helsinki.

How do you define streetwear in the context of Finnish fashion, and how does vitunleija® reflect or challenge this definition?

For a long time, streetwear in Helsinki used to be really similar to what people were doing here in NYC, but at a tiny scale. What we’ve done at vitunleija® is take it to the next level and push it to the mainstream from the underground. We gave the market what wanted, and others have followed in our footsteps.

Your brand name is bold and provocative. Can you share the story behind the name vitunleija® and what it represents for the brand?

We needed a name for a business. Only thing we knew it had to be fly as fuck (= vitun leija).

As a designer, how do you stay inspired and innovative in an industry that is constantly evolving, especially with the influence of social media trends?

Our team is mostly Gen Z, so we see the world through the lens of social media. The clothes or events we create, really are just a reflection of what we see, and see fitting for the world around us. Inspiration has never really been the hard part for us, because everyone is in it from the heart.

How does your personal background and cultural heritage influence the designs and ethos of vitunleija®?

With Helsinki being such a small town, most of our influences came from the internet. For years all of us have followed the streetwear and music scenes abroad. We wanted to bring some of what we saw and liked back home to Helsinki.

Looking ahead, what are your goals for vitunleija® beyond NYFW?

Keep growing. We’ve been able to create more and more special pieces just to our own liking, we strive to do more of that. Also, the vitunleija® Live concept is evolving to its best form - we’ve tried it a bunch of times and have learned our strengths and weaknesses. We hope to breakthrough internationally too. Helsinki really has something to show for the world. GR8T