Finnish museum features one family’s felt tradition
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In Jämsä, Finland, the Finnish Craft Museum chose to feature Lahtinen family’s felt factory in its exhibit on a century of Finnish crafts, despite the presence of two other felt factories in the same town.
The Lahtinen family began making felt boots, huopikkaat, as a side business on their farm in 1921, and their company remains the oldest of the three still operating in Jämsä.
Saara Koskinen, representing the newest generation of the family, noted that her generation is increasingly aware of the origins and materials of the clothes they wear, suggesting a growing appreciation for traditionally made products like felt. Museum director Taina Rantala explained that Lahtinen family initiated contact with the museum, and the exhibit developed from their active participation. Rantala acknowledged the existence of J.
Alho and Koskenpään factories, also in Jämsä, but stated that the museum did not extend an invitation to them for this particular exhibit. The museum plans a second exhibit in the future, organized with the Finnish Felt Association, which will focus on the entire production process from sheep farming to finished product.
Eero Lahtinen, age 80 and a son of the founder, continues to work at the factory daily, having negotiated a continued role in the business during the generational transfer. The family currently lives and works on the same property in Partala where the business began, and Saara Koskinen expressed a goal of continuing the tradition for another hundred years.
