Finland captain honoured, fashion from waste flowers and Professor Mythbuster

Busting myths in Eastern Finland. Inventor Jamie Hyneman, best known for the science TV show MythBusters, has been appointed professor of practice at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT). Hyneman aims to be strongly involved in practical development projects and research collaboration. His lectures are guaranteed to be popular. (Photo: Vesa Laitinen / LUT) Checkout LUT’s website for more.

Your next handbag could be made of the floral industry’s waste. During her florist studies, Irene Purasachit realised that around 40 per cent of cut flowers are discarded at some stage of the supply chain. This inspired Purasachit to create a new biomaterial from flower stem fibres. The leather-like material can be turned into lifestyle products, such as handbags and purses. (Photo: Irene Purasachit) Checkout Aalto University’s press release for more.

The Internationalisation Awards of the President of the Republic have been announced. The recognitions are granted annually to internationally successful Finnish companies and communities. This year, the lucky four are Relex, Peikko, Bayer and Maria 01. (Photo: Business Finland) Read more about the winners on Finnvera’s website.

Here is a footballer to look up to. Tim Sparv, the captain of Finland’s national football team, has been awarded the 2021 Player Voice award by FIFPro, the global representative body of professional footballers. The recognition highlights Sparv’s efforts in raising awareness about mental health, human rights, equality, anti-racism and climate change. (Photo: timsparv.com) Yle has the story.

Award glory for children’s films. Two Finnish feature films (Any Day Now and Sihja, the Rebel Fairy) and one documentary (Armageddon in the Livingroom) were among the winners at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival in early November. (Photo: Vilja Harala / Tuffi Films) Finnish Film Foundation writes about the awards.

A “time machine” for fashion lovers. Marimekko has created a way to explore the design house’s striking prints from the past 70 years. Called Maripedia, it is an online interactive library where users can browse patterns from the brand’s past collections. New material will be added with new collections. (Photo: Marimekko / Visit Finland) Read more in Office’s article.

Release your inner game designer. Helsinki-based HypeHype has launched an app to allow anyone to create, remix and play mobile games. The startup also has some big-name backers, including Finnish mobile gaming giant Supercell. (Photo: HypeHype) Venture Beat writes about the launch.

“A manor house revived.” The Akola manor in northern-western Finland was built from timber in 1796. It has now received a major facelift in the hands of JKMM architects. The work was done in collaboration with historic building specialists and local craftspeople, using methods that date back to the 18th century. The results are impressive enough to be featured by the design magazine Wallpaper. (Photo: Teemu Kurkela)

Linda Fredriksson goes solo. Fredriksson is a standout Finnish saxophonist whose first solo jazz album, Juniper, has just been released to welcoming reviews. Clash Magazine is taken by “how well everything gels. Nothing feels out of place, and everything is for the sake of the song, rather than for the ego”. (Photo: Facebook / Linda Fredriksson Music)

Moomins gain momentum in the US. After the theatrical release of Tove, a biopic about creator Tove Jansson, and the opening of a Moomin exhibit in Washington, D.C., the lovable children’s characters will be seen in new apparel collections. (Photo: Just Peachy) Read more about the deal on Licence Global.

Alan Wake expands to Sweden. Remedy, the company behind the popular games Alan Wake and Control, will open a subsidiary in Stockholm in 2022. The aim is to hire 25 developers in the country. (Photo: Remedy / Control) Gamedeveloper has more details on Remedy’s plans.