Fabulous shoe fashion at Museum Milavida

Palmroth – A Century of Shoe Fashion 
29 April 2027 – early 2028

Palmroth shoes are a name that conjures up images of elegant open-toed shoes, dainty sandals and striking boots. The ‘Palmroth – A Century of Shoe Fashion’ exhibition presents a magnificent array of beautiful footwear, as well as the Palmroth family’s 100-year journey through the changing world of footwear fashion and industry.

In 1928, Pentti Palmroth founded a factory specialising in women’s shoes in Partola, Pirkkala. The factory grew rapidly, and ‘Viva’ footwear soon gained a good reputation and became a bestseller.

In the 1950s, Pentti Palmroth’s sons, Juhani and Pertti, joined the business. The shoes designed by Pertti Palmroth in 1952 for Armi Kuusela’s entry into the Miss Universe pageant brought the company widespread recognition. The company expanded to Tampere in the 1960s and, to boost exports, acquired a factory in the Netherlands. Thanks to their high-quality design, Palmroth shoes appeared on the covers of international fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, as the sole Finnish representatives in their sector. Throughout the decades, the Palmroth name has been a guarantee of quality and style in both the domestic and export markets. Today, the third generation – Mikko Palmroth and Anu Haalahti – are continuing the work to promote the brand.

The footwear, along with a wealth of photographic and archival material, comes mainly from the collections of the Palmroth family and Tampere’s historical museums.