Profile: Ami Juusela – Real Leather Design Competitions

Ami Juusela

Nordic Region

Textile Design BFA

Design, Sustainable Design, Unisex

I was never a crafty person, art was more my thing, but somehow I ended up being a textile student, now a 30-year-old third year with a passion for sustainability, socioeconomic ethics and functionality in design. To me design starts from feelings and stories. My motto as a designer is that I create something that you feel: physically and mentally. Something that touches your heart and leaves an impact or maybe even awakens a forgotten memory? My teacher once said, that my versatility is my Achilles's Heel, but I should show it. Somehow it summarizes myself as a designer; how I try to adapt into a desired style, but still I want to keep it as my own. It's difficult sometimes and killing my darlings was never my thing, but as a designer I have to do it. Still, what I never want to lose is the way I view the world like a child; everything is full of wonder and full of opportunities. I'm physically impaired, but it doesn't stop me from trying my best, always thriving to live and learn.

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Saddleback: Laukka

Category: Accessories

Competitions: Nordic Region, International

My stepsister is a horse girl, so I also became one. Or tried to. I could admire horses on the pages of comics and in the shape of toys, series, movies and games, but the real ones scared me. Simply because they were so big and unpredictable. The two times I rode a horse I fell: first, because the horse just simply shook me off like an annoying itch, second, because the saddle was too loose. Not my fault, really, but it deepened my fear. 10 years ago I had a right sided migraine attack so bad, that I had to go to a hospital. Since then I've been getting worse because of medical neglect. My right side will probably never be free from pain and I''ve had to adapt to it in different ways. One of them is that I carry bags with weird ways because I can't often stand the weight on my right shoulder, hip, arm or back. When I heard about this competition I immediately thought about what would be the easiest kind of bag for me to carry and I reached out my left arm. I recalled a memory when my relative's foal advanced me and from the moment I touched his head I felt safe. How my fear disappeared and the pain did too. I thought about how a saddle simply balances the weight of the rider. And how the power relies in the animal itself. It's about sharing the weight accepted as it is. So instead of fear I decided to try and find strength on my good side. To reach out and help others and myself with design. For more information, please refer to attached pdf.