Felt Faction was founded in 1999 by Elina Saari and Aki Leppänen to make felt making more fun and easier for everyone.
Work is being done day and night, color pots are boiling outside, there’s competition for sauna shifts with hats, and wool and felt are overflowing from every corner of the home. Elina is in charge of felting, dyeing, material development, and bringing new crazy ideas to life. Aki is Elina’s complementary half – muse, critic, work partner, and the greatest source of inspiration. And sometimes, the roles are happily mixed up.
Felt Faction -team
Elina Saari, artist & entrepreneur
Aki Leppänen, entrepreneur
Oona Jakku, assistant teacher, content creator
History of Felt Faction
The company is based in Orimattila, Finland and runs from an essentric old house. It has everything that is needed for felt making such as big sauna, felt making spaces, warehouse and wool dyeing cottage.
Elina is mainly in charge of inventing functional materials and tools for felt making as well as having a ball with her felt designs. Aki on the other hand describes himself as Elina’s muse and a backbone of the business. And every once in a while the roles get coherently entagled.
Elina started her felt making 25 years ago in her neighbours sheep barn floor. She got immediately hooked on working with wool.
Along with her skills and experience growing she ambitiously wanted to invent better materials for her style of feltmaking. Something that would allow her to create more intricating and 3-dimentional yet ever so light hats and other designs.
After working with Finnish sheep wool for a couple of years she finally succeeded in creating needlefelts Jääkarhu and Ohukainen which are now the main materials she uses.
Elina wants her designs to reflect the joy and fun she is having while making felt. Her clients do seem to get it since she is frequently asked to create one offs to artists, bands, theatre and dance groups etc.
Every summer Felt Faction organises workshops in Orimattila or nearby city Lahti, Finland. Elina also travels around the world to give master classes in felt events.
If you are planning to organize a felt making workshop and wish to invite Elina to give master classes please feel free to enquire.
Have fun in taking a closer look at Elina’s designs in the photo gallery or at the design shop
