Helena Dunn

"Helena Dunn is Founder & Creative Director of Tuulikki Nyc, a New York based Women’s Surf brand. Growing up between the English countryside and the lake lands of Finland during the summer, Helena was shaped by her natural environments and discovered her interest for sustainability in design early on. After pursuing a degree in fashion design from the University of Brighton in England, she won a competition that brought her to New York in the fall of 2008. Living in the city, she designed and consulted for various brands including American Eagle Outfitters and Coach, with the last five years mainly dedicated to
designing textiles, prints and embroideries for 3.1 Phillip Lim. Driven by her lifelong relationship with nature and the discovery of new places, Helena was drawn to surfing on a trip she took to Nicaragua in 2013. Eventually turning into an extended apprenticeship working with local artisans, this trip went on to
shape the course of her career in design and redefined her personal ambition – using her talents to create a thoughtful product that would represent the communal values of local manufacturing, while inherently respecting the natural environment. Upon her return to New York, Helena’s internal shift and discovered
love for surfing prompted a permanent move from the city to Rockaway beach. Surfing grew to become part of her daily lifestyle, transforming her relationship both with New York and with herself. In surfing, she found a quiet rhythm that offered a balance to the non-stop life of the city. Embraced by the female surf
community of Rockaway, Helena soon discovered an unmet need within her circles and the broader market – performance surf-wear designed for the active female form. Taking its name from a mythical Finnish goddess responsible for protecting the harmony between man and nature, Tuulikki NYC is the
manifestation of what Helena set out to create – a product manufactured locally in New York and made entirely with recycled fabrics. Born out of the heart of Rockaway and a statement on empowering women in surf, Tuulikki stands for the values of the culture that inspired it and the community who has adopted it
as its own – seeing it through since its inception and giving it a platform upon which to reach more women who believe in the love of community, the love of nature and the love of surf. "

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