”We’re thrilled to offer Finlayson’s high-quality home textiles, designed in Finland, to Australian customers. The Tom of Finland by Finlayson Collection draws upon innovative and ground-breaking Finnish designs and art traditions while paying homage to Touko Laaksonen, one of the most celebrated and respected Finnish visual artists of all time. With the Tom of Finland by Finlayson Collection, which features the artist’s erotic art, we also want to convey the message of respect and tolerance worldwide”, says Risto Voutilainen, Chief Operating Officer of Finlayson, in charge of the company’s international operations.

Tom of Finland’s works have, since 1973, been exhibited in Europe, USA and Australia in cities that include Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Canberra, Chicago, Copenhagen, Helsinki, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Oslo, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Stockholm, Toronto and Venice. His art is part of permanent collections of leading cultural institutions that include, Museum of Modern Art (New York), Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma (Helsinki), The Art Institute of Chicago, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Finlayson is launching the Tom of Finland by Finlayson Collection simultaneously in over 30 countries in Europe, USA, Australia, New Zeeland, and in selected countries in Asia.

The first release of Tom of Finland by Finlayson centres around two designs titled Fellows, and Face to Face, featuring works by Tom. The collection includes satin bedding sets for both single and double beds, hand and bath towels and a textile tote bag. The product assortment will be expanded throughout 2015, with the introduction of new patterns and products, starting with kitchen textiles.

Tom of Finland by Finlayson will be available in Australia as of today, 20th November, on Finlayson’s dedicated international online store: www.byfinlayson.com.

Finlayson’s signature collections are available on Finlayson’s main online store: www.finlaysonshop.com.

About Tom of Finland

Tom of Finland was born Touko Laaksonen in 1920 in the village of Kaarina, Finland. His parents were schoolteachers who fostered their children’s interest in the arts. At the age of 19, Laaksonen enrolled in a correspondence course in advertising. At that time, and for his own personal enjoyment, he created his first homoerotic drawings. In 1940, Laaksonen was drafted into the army and served for four years as a second lieutenant. After World War II, he moved to Helsinki, where he began to work for an advertising agency.

Laaksonen continued to draw his erotic fantasies and in the conservative social climate of the mid-1950s, submitted them to the American, all-male “bodybuilding” magazine, Physique Pictorial. It was the publisher that gave him the pseudonym “Tom of Finland”. Tom of Finland’s images were an immediate success and numerous publications followed. Since 1973, his work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.

With his friend Durk Dehner, Tom of Finland founded Tom of Finland Foundation in 1984 as a nonprofit Educational Archive to protect, preserve, and promote erotic art and to encourage healthier, more tolerant attitudes about sexuality.

About Finlayson

Finlayson, a pioneer of textile manufacturing in Finland, has designed and manufactured quality interior textiles since 1820. With its head office and own atelier in Helsinki, Finlayson has more than 600 point-of-sales, 11 company owned concept stores, 3 shop-in-shops, a web shop serving the Finnish market, as well as branded stores in St. Petersburg and Tallinn. In June 2014, Finlayson was acquired by three Finnish visionaries dedicated to create a prosperous and bold new Finlayson while honoring the company’s unique history. International growth carries a central role in the new direction of Finlayson.