Almada Label: Helsinki Cashmere Brand's Global Rise

Almada Label has become one of the quietest success stories in Nordic fashion. Founded in Helsinki in 2020, the womenswear house has built a following on soft cashmere, clean silhouettes and the kind of understated wardrobe staples that stay in rotation for years rather than a season. In August 2026 it stepped onto the runway for the first time, showing its autumn/winter 2026 collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week.

That debut took place at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts during the SS27 edition of the schedule, and the collection was offered in a see-now-buy-now format — a deliberate choice for a brand whose customers expect to wear a piece straight away rather than wait six months.

From three knits to a full wardrobe

The business began with just three knit styles. Founders Alexa Dagmar and Linda Juhola design between Helsinki and Stockholm, and Dagmar is registered as managing director of the operating company, AL Collection Oy Ab. From that small knitwear base, the label has grown into a complete ready-to-wear offer spanning tailoring, leather, shearling and silk.

The guiding idea has been consistency over novelty: a permanent collection that is refined and extended as time goes on, rather than replaced each season. That approach positions the pieces as everyday luxury — clothes meant to be worn, layered and kept.

Recognition arrived in October 2025, when the brand received the Finnish Textile & Fashion Award, worth €10,000. The jury highlighted its ambitious international goals, profitable growth and strong media visibility.

What the founders put the growth down to

In 2025 the founders set out three principles behind the brand’s progress. The first was deciding to enter international markets from the outset rather than establishing a domestic base first. The second was a clearly defined brand vision that shapes everything from design to retail partnerships. The third was balancing price against quality so that customers feel the value in the garment itself.

Visibility has helped. A shearling jacket sold out on the day it launched, and actor Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore the label’s Zila dress at the Venice Film Festival in late August 2025 — the sort of moment that introduces a young Scandinavian name to a much wider audience.

Margins under pressure

Growth has not been cost-free. According to figures from Asiakastieto, AL Collection Oy Ab lifted revenue by 34.2 per cent to €4.8 million in 2025 with a team of six. Operating profit, however, fell 98 per cent to €11,000 — a margin of 0.2 per cent, down from €482,000 the previous year. Expanding into new markets and building a wholesale network while keeping quality high evidently takes its toll on the bottom line.

The collection and what it costs

Almada Label’s range covers knitwear, outerwear, tailoring, trousers, dresses and accessories, made from materials that run from organic cashmere to shearling. Prices, as listed on the brand’s own webshop in October 2026, give a clear picture of where it sits in the market:

• Knitwear — the signature category. The cashmere Vida Top starts at €195, the Nola Turtleneck Sweater is €360 and the Aria Cardigan €390.
• Trousers — the wool-cashmere Lilou Joggers come in at €290.
• Outerwear — from €590 for the Noorie Doublé Coat and €780 for the Kaity Doublé Coat up to €2,800 for the Claudie Shearling Coat.

Most knitwear sits below the €400 mark, making the core of the collection accessible for a designer label. Shearling outerwear, by contrast, reaches prices more usually associated with established luxury houses.

Stockists in 17 countries

The label now lists retail partners in 17 countries, among them Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, the UK, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Its stockists include Harrods, Le Bon Marché, Printemps, KaDeWe, Breuninger, Nordiska Kompaniet and Stockmann. For autumn/winter 2026 it named Net-a-Porter as a key global retail partner.

Online orders ship worldwide from a logistics partner in the Netherlands, and in July 2026 the brand opened its first pop-up, at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monaco — a temporary space that matched the collection’s polished, understated mood.

Production is handled by factories in Portugal, Italy, Turkey and China. The brand states that it works only with suppliers that follow non-mulesing practices, an important consideration for shoppers who care about animal welfare in wool and shearling supply chains.

A measured kind of growth

In October 2025 the founders spoke of more pop-ups, more events and the possibility of a runway show. All three have since come to pass. Speaking to SheerLuxe in September 2026, they made clear that growing in the right way matters more to them than growing quickly.

That sentiment fits a label whose appeal rests on restraint: a permanent collection rather than a trend cycle, quality over quantity, and a customer who wants fewer, better pieces. Whether the young Helsinki house can hold that balance while expanding into new markets — and while margins stay thin — is the question that will define its next chapter.