Get closer to nature with the new Nordicbuddies Moomin collection – Coming soon!

The Finnish brand Nordicbuddies was created in 2020 with the purpose of bringing Moomin to the wardrobes of young adults. And that it has done – the brand has since grown immensely, and Nordicbuddies Moomin products can be shopped globally.

The Nordicbuddies Moomin 2024 spring and summer collection is a celebration of nature and how in Moominvalley, adventure is part of everyday life. The release brings new colours and styles to popular items, like Moomin socks and caps, and introduces entirely new items, like windbreakers and raincoats.

Here, Nordicbuddies’ Lead Designer, Tommy Tarvonen, shares the inspiration behind the new collection, what it’s like to work with the Moomin stories, and what’s coming up for the brand.

What’s the story behind the new Moomin collection? 

Our Urban Dreaming SS24 collection is all about the nature of Moominvalley, with the characters inhabiting it. The design process started from the idea that we all love nature, but in today’s fast-paced world, we are more distant from it than ever. 

As a street-style brand, we at Nordicbuddies wanted to bring the modern urban dweller who craves a touch of the outdoors and some adventure in their life, closer to nature. 

Tove Jansson’s illustrations include amazing nature-inspired artwork, which we wanted to highlight. We always start designing by firstly thinking outside the box and then doing research and finding inspiring artwork. We wanted to continue with our adventurous theme, and have also brought back some of our previous years’ favourites in a new and exciting way.

How does the collection embody the Moomin stories?

Every day is an adventure in Moominvalley, and there, everyone gets to be a part of it. This is what we want to convey in our collection, bringing the Moomin values to life in a new and interesting way. We want the clothes to look good but also to tell a story. 

What is new in this collection? 

We have been busy; this collection introduces 162 new products, each and every one of which we are equally proud of. 

We also feel that we are launching the most awesome collection of shirt designs by far – a wide variety of t-shirts, crewnecks and hoodies will feature the nature theme, new colours and the Moomins’ adventurous spirit. 

Later in the summer, we are launching raincoats. Our mission: to create a durable, good-looking raincoat that stands out in a storm. I feel like we have succeeded and can’t wait for the rainy summer days! The coats are both water and windproof. 

What makes it fun to work with the Moomin stories?

All of us in the design department grew up with the Moomins; most of us with the ’90s series, which was then later followed by reading the original books. Being able to browse through the catalogue of Moomin works from Tove Jansson and then in a way create new stories around these characters is a dream come true! 

Is there a character or style that you think fans will like the most?

We are really excited about the new flower designs and feel like the simplistic “Moomin flower” speaks to everyone’s inner child. We’re also super happy with how the new designs for the adventuring Moomintroll turned out.

Nordicbuddies has become very popular since the first collection four years ago. Why do you think that is?

When Nordicbuddies was founded, the vision for the brand was to design Moomin street and everyday wear, mainly for young adults. We felt that there were no clothes out there to wear, despite all of us loving Moomin so much. When launched, we instantly saw that our vision resonated with an audience and we are forever grateful to everyone who has bought a product from us!

To put the past four years in a nutshell, it has included: extreme passion, courage, freedom to fail, humour, hundreds of sleepless nights and hard work. At the end of the day, every success story starts with good people and good vibes. Positivity brings positive outcomes, and it is something we value a lot in our company culture. Thus, I would say that this is the secret behind the success of Nordicbuddies. 

The most exciting part is that we are at the very beginning of our journey and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for us! 

What is your favourite character from the Moomin stories, and why?

When I was younger, I felt I resonated a lot with Sniff. Maybe a bit anxious, but always easily convinced to join everyone else on an adventure. As I’ve grown up, I feel more drawn to Snufkin. 

Can you tell us anything about what’s coming up next?

We are of course very excited about the upcoming 80th anniversary of Moomin and happy that we get to be a part of it. This will bring a unique opportunity to create some amazing new products with very special artwork. 

I can also reveal that we are working on a “Novels collection” using the original artwork from Comet in Moominland; combining the text and story of the book with its illustrations to create a very special design.

Coming out soon!

The new Nordicbuddies Moomin spring and summer collection will be available in the global Moomin webshop very soon! Keep an eye out for updates on Instagram by following @moominofficial and @nordicbuddies.

Explore previous Nordicbuddies Moomin collections here ⬇️

Spring collection 2023
Winter collection 2022
Moomin #ABC collection 2021
Mix and match Nordicbuddies Moomin

Spring collection 2023

Nordicbuddies’ previous Moomin spring collection was all about curiosity. Colourful shirts, hoodies and accessories that you can mix and match creatively for a unique summer outfit! The now-popular bucket hats and ankle socks were first introduced in this collection.

“Curiosity, especially curiosity in design, colours and styles, has been at the core of the new collection. When designing this collection, we wanted to keep breaking boundaries in our designs. We want this collection to inspire people to be curious, try new things, new colours and styles, and ultimately just have fun and enjoy themselves,” Robert Lindell, Head of Marketing and Design at Nordicbuddies at the time, explains.

Fun ways to mix and match with Nordicbuddies Moomin

A monochrome outfit

When choosing a monochrome outfit, there is no need to worry about whether the colours match. A beige bucket hat and t-shirt will look amazing with a similar-coloured pair of cargo pants or chinos!

Showcase your Moomin personality

Nordicbuddies’ collection features several different inhabitants of Moominvalley. Test your Moomin personality with this fun quiz and find a piece they adorn – or simply choose a piece with your favourite character!

Show your socks

Wearing a pair of Nordicbuddies Moomin socks, the last thing you want to do is to hide them under your trouser legs! From the retro designs to bright colours and basics, they all look great with sneakers.

Match with your best friend

Are you heading to a music festival or planning a trip with your friends? Get matching Moomin caps and hoodies as your team outfit, and you will surely turn some heads  – and find each other from the crowds!

Winter collection 2022

The Moomins usually hibernate during the winter, but one year, Moomintroll suddenly wakes up and begins to explore the wonders of the snowy season. 

The Nordicbuddies Moomin 2022 winter collection saw Tove Jansson’s illustration bring that magical feeling of the first snow to apparel. The collection introduced new hoodies, beanies, socks and a tote bag in the classic tones of beige and black, featuring Moomintroll staring at a snow-covered tree. 

According to Nordicbuddies’ founder Lasse Lähteenmäki, the design process for the collection started with a quote from the Moominland Midwinter novel:

”One flake after the other landed on his warm snout and melted away. He caught several in his paw to admire them for a fleeting moment, he looked towards the sky and saw them sinking down straight at him, more and more, softer and lighter than bird’s down.
‘Oh, it’s like this,’ thought Moomintroll. ‘I believed it simply formed on the ground somehow.’”

Moomin #ABC collection 2021

The 2021 Moomin Alphabets collection highlighted three values important for Moomin and Nordicbuddies alike: love, equality, and courage. Each shirt has one of the values written on it with the new Moomin alphabet, designed as part of the #MoominABC initiative aiming to strengthen the importance and joy of reading and writing in the life of children, youth and adults. 

As an important lesson from Moominvalley, no matter who someone is, what species they are, what they look like or where they’re from, Moomins think that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. This is the message of Tove Jansson’s work, and should be central to the way we humans live, too.

In addition to the shirts with English texts, Nordicbuddies created a t-shirt and sweatshirt with the text “rohkeus” on them. The word means courage in Finnish.

“When I first saw the new alphabet concept and heard the story behind it, it was love at first sight. I was excited that we could promote the Moomins’ values through our fashion items. We immediately started playing with the alphabets and expressing ourselves, creating designs that advocate love, courage and equality”, Nordicbuddies founder Lasse Lähteenmäki tells.