Ruskovilla_Cat_2020-2021_EN

THE FLAT SEAMER IS ARJA’S THING If your wardrobe has a Ruskovilla product made in the past 33 years, then Arja may well have had a finger in making it over her multifaceted career. Like Arja, many Ruskovilla employees have been working for the company for a long time. A desire to make high-quality products without the time pressure of piecework pay is shared by our nearly two dozen seamstresses.

The rapid ticking of machines and the lively murmur of conversation can be heard immediately as you step into the combined cutting, sewing and packing facilities in the old Artjärvi dairy building. Hunched over her machine by a window is Arja, who started her career at Ruskovilla in the autumn of 1987. “At the beginning there was just the founder Anneli and Manu and a few employees nearby in Kirkkotie. Over the years, I have worked in the packing room and the shop, but the flat seamer has become my thing over time. I particularly enjoy sewing men’s flies, which require high precision.” “I live close by, so in the winter I’ve been skiing to work across the lake Säyhtee. My colleagues have become like a second family to me and we share many interests, such as gardening. We exchange seedlings and have made excursions to visit gardens both in Finland and abroad”, describes Arja her time at Ruskovilla. Connected by shared values The story of Arja is a typical Ruskovilla career. People come and stay, and one of the two founders, Anneli Wahlsten, now over 80 years old, still actively participates in daily operations. The employees joke about “the sewing room girls”, although most are closer to being grandmothers.

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