Vain and 1664 recreate a Parisian terrace in the heart of Helsinki to celebrate their new capsule collection, AW1664

The moment temperatures dip in Helsinki, there’s an instant longing to be drinking a beer on a patio amongst pals. Yesterday evening, beloved local brand Vain, 1664 and Vogue Scandinavia made that fantasy a reality, recreating a dreamy late afternoon-to-early-evening Parisian terrace in a spacious warehouse in the heart of the city.

A celebration of AW1664, Vain and 1664’s limited collaborative collection, which dropped yesterday evening following the event, it brought out 400 impossibly cool friends of the brand (yes, Vain has quite the community) for an evening that emphasised the simple pleasure of sharing a beer with friends. “The biggest thing is togetherness – just having fun and hanging out,” says Vain co-founder Roope Reinola. “1664 has been involved in so many good memories and we really wanted to celebrate that.”

Related: AW1664 is the beer-themed, covetable capsule collaboration between 1664 and Helsinki heroes Vain

To create the perfect terrace atmosphere, the warehouse was dotted with round tables and woven chairs, which were quickly coopted by groups of friends and friends of friends. Lining the entrance of the space, countless fridges stocked with 1664 Blanc welcomed guests to self-serve, popping open their bottles with the AW1664 bottle opener that was available on arrival. Others simply used the cap from the collection, which cleverly features a bottle opener in the brim. At the centre of the room, seated around a spotlit table sat a handful of models (friends of the brand, too) wearing the AW1664 collection, which finds reworked logos, upcycled denim and even a leather vest designed to hold a six pack of beer.

As ever, the special sauce was the mix of guests – models and actors, fellow designers and influencers – all mingling under the 1664-blue lighting. “The event was first and foremost for the Vain community,” says Marisa Kursula, the senior brand manager of 1664 in Finland. “We really wanted to give Vain the freedom to the build the collection world in the event space.”

For Vain creative director Jimi Vain, it’s the terrace culture recreated by last night’s event that brings his brand and 1664 together. “When visiting France I felt like I was in awe about how people stay outside at a terrace,” he says, adding, “There is a certain community-like feeling.”

For both Vain and Reinola, the only goal was to ensure that “everyone was having a good time”. Judging by the empty blue bottles strewn across the venue and the fact that no one wanted to leave when the evening wound down, we can safely say that they succeeded.

See all the photos below.