The story of Superyellow begins in 2006, when three ambitious design students from Aalto University combined their ideas and started to create something new. Their goal was to design products which are timeless and responsibly produced, and most importantly practical for every-day-use. The designers decided to combine sustainable, high-quality materials with functional design to stand out from the others and enter international markets in the early days of the company’s life.
The vision of Superyellow beanies was born. In the beginning the material used for the first beanies was cotton surplus. Back then the cotton beanies were characterized by colorful prints which were inspired by the Scandinavian nature. Nowadays the Superyellow beanies look a lot different, but some elements, such as the use of animals in patches and the use of natural colors has remained.
The first office was located right in the city center of Helsinki, in Runeberginkatu 8. The space was rented before the company was officially founded or even had a name – which tells how strongly the designers felt about their vision. After the office was set up, the company needed a name that would stand out and that would be easy to remember. Next to their new office was located the Swedish business school Hanken, where the designers were often having lunch. One day during their lunch time they came up with the name.
The designers wanted that the name of the brand would be cheerful and energetic, but at the same time easy to remember and timeless. As a result, the company was named Superyellow, which immediately brings positive energy and gives a good feeling. It also represents the open-mind and braveness the designers had when they started the company. It was also important that the name would be suitable for international markets.
The first beanies were made for the Christmas fair of the design school. The cotton beanies were hand-made and printed. Because the beanies were so popular, the designers made more during the night before the second day of the Christmas event! The first Superyellow beanies had a black logo label with white text in the back of the beanie, and this same label is still used today in all Superyellow beanies.
The Finnish design brand had taken its first steps. To be continued…