Seen one napa, seen them all...
Finnish after-skiers made a name for themselves
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The first time the Finnish language made it into the designs of international fashion houses was probably back in the mid-1980s, in Italy.
The young heirs to a family company making hunting bags and accessories in the Aosta Valley were sitting enjoying a bit of after-ski at the Monte Rosa ski resort. It so happened that a couple of Finns were drying out their clothes and quenching their thirst around the same fire.
The Italians were also talking a bit of business, and were planning a new outdoor clothing line. Someone suggested they should call it "Napa Valley".
The Finns then chimed in and asked why not Napapiiri, which would be much better, though it means "Polar Circle" or "Arctic Circle", and has nothing whatsoever to do with California, or with Italy for that matter.
Anyway, a map was brought to the table, and the Italians rather liked the Northern alternative. The only problem was that double vowel in piiri. It looks ugly, they said. "Why don’t we just replace one of them with a J instead?"
Napapijri became a very successful high-end outdoor apparel brand, after the sales executives at Green Sport Monte Bianco had added a Norwegian flag to the logo. Norwegian? Geographically a bit off, but who cares? It’s all the same northern tundra anyhow.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 5.9.2004
More on this subject:
 Hey, this shirt says "Soumi" on it!
A brief Suomi-garment lexicon
Links:
Napapijri (U.S. site)
Helsingin Sanomat
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