Hel Looks
 In 2005, two young natives of Finland single handedly put their Nordic country on the e-map of global style. Liisa Jokinen and Sampo Karjalainen—club-haunting, camera-toting, enthusiasts of hip—launched Hel Looks, a site devoted to Helsinki street fashion. It remains to this day one of the leading examples of urban (and non-commercial) cool online.
Liisa and Sampo's site topped our list for 2005's Picks of the Year. When we checked in with Liisa recently, she told us how people are reacting to the Finnish fashionistas these days, whether they're still inspired by the sidewalks of Tokyo, and how Hel Looks continues to surprise them after all this time... Hey Liisa, how do people react on the street when you approach them for a photo? 99% say yes and they give me a big smile. They understand it's a compliment when asked for a picture. We know you will remove photos from the site if the person in the photo changes his or her mind about being on the Web. How often does someone have a change of heart? I only remember three to five girls who wanted to remove their photos afterwards. You and Sampo started the site because you love great style (hooray!). You were also inspired by Japanese photographer Shoichi Aoki and his legendary magazines FRUiTS and STREET. Has anyone from those magazines ever contacted you? Do you see them differently since you started Hel Looks? Actually, we contacted Shoichi Aoki one year ago. We were in Tokyo for a week, and met him, and I wrote a story about Japanese street fashion and me meeting my idol for a Finnish magazine called Image. FRUiTS and STREET are still my main sources of inspiration. So I see the magazines the same way as before. I just pay more attention to technical things and quality of pictures. Anything that's surprised you about running the site? Having so many international fans! The possibility to influence people and give them inspiration. You have certainly inspired many, including us. Thanks, Liisa!
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