The Finnish television series Syke takes viewers through the fast-paced twists and turns of a hospital and the everyday lives of its employees. The Medanta-made workwear for the staff enhances the series' authentic authenticity.
The award-winning drama series Syke is set in the trauma ward of a fictional city hospital. Since the series is very realistic in style, the costumes also play a significant role: the hospital staff's outfits are one indication of professionalism.
Sykett has been in production since 2014, and costume designers Ninna Päiväläinen and Ninni Lahtinen created guidelines for the color scheme of the workwear during the series' design phase. Even then, the creators of Sykett contacted Medanta.
The colors chosen for the clothing were gray, white, and navy blue.
“We also wanted to continue with this color scheme, even though the clothing designs have been updated,” says costume designer Netta Kervinen , who has been involved since the third season and is responsible for the costumes in the latest episodes of the series.
Recently, the range of colors in the series has expanded slightly.
“For example, the cancer nurses wear Medanta's pink shirts, and the hospital nurses who sometimes appear in episodes wear patterned tunics,” Kervinen says.
Professional attire helps you fit into your role
Even though Syket has been performed for years, according to Netta Kervinen, there is still plenty of room for design in terms of clothing, as new characters and environments are being created for the series. The designer and costume designer are constantly updating the characters' "wardrobes" to suit different situations and seasons, according to each character's style.
In autumn 2018, at the start of the fifth season, the series was joined by, for example, nurse Aino, played by Amelie Blauberg . Her character is a newly graduated nurse who is still unsure of her skills.
Blauberg is young himself and has no experience in the hospital world, but the right outfit helps him to take on the role.
"As soon as I put on these authentic work clothes, I feel like I'm turning into a professional in the industry. This work outfit is also great for an actor: it's really super comfortable to wear! The outfit is flexible, breathable and relaxed, even though it's clearly professional workwear."
According to Blauberg, many other role costumes are such that you want to change into your own clothes as soon as there is even a short break in filming. Medanta's work clothes are an exception.
“I think this is my first costume that I want to keep even during breaks,” says Blauberg, who has also acted in the television series Uusi päivä, for example.
Detailed familiarization with hospital work
Netta Kervinen and Amelie Blauberg both emphasize how important it is to familiarize yourself with hospital work and, for example, work equipment before filming.
"The professionals in the field have really introduced us to the hospital environment and even the use of clothing. For example, the doctors in the series wear a doctor's coat, the sleeves of which must be either shortened or rolled up for hygiene reasons, just like in a real hospital," Kervinen says.
The costume designer will be particularly familiar with the accessories that many of the characters in the series wear: for example, surgical masks, protective gowns, or hair shields. They must be worn correctly and according to the situation.
Even the smallest details are important.
“When I go to the doctor these days, I keep a close eye on what kind of lanyards, pens or shoes the medical staff has,” Kervinen says.
Different key chains have also been developed for the Syke series for staff, depending on the role they play.
“Medanta's clothes are comfortable and easy to care for”
The clothing worn by the actors' characters is the result of the collaboration of many people.
“The costume designer creates the broad outlines of the series' costumes, and as a costume designer, I help the designer and take care of the daily costumes,” says Netta Kervinen.
Ninna Päiväläinen, who has been involved from the beginning, has continued as the chief designer of the Syke series. Since it is a large-scale series, the costume team includes, in addition to her and Kervinen, the so-called set dresser Elisa Avikainen . Sometimes a costume intern also helps.
When filming the episodes of Heartbeat, there is a lot of hustle and bustle in the dressing room. Each actor has his own trolley, which also contains the character's casual clothes. The actors fetch and bring clothes and ask for advice on dressing when necessary.
Netta Kervinen is a freelance costume designer, but the Syke series has now been her full-time job for about six months. The fifth and sixth seasons will be filmed until spring 2019, and Kervinen and her assistant will also take care of washing and ironing clothes in the series' dressing room.
Role clothing is used a lot. Each actor has two shirts and two pairs of pants, which are always washed at the end of the day. For example, if a scene involves a cut where fake blood can splash, the clothes need to be able to be changed mid-day.
“Medanta's clothing is simply elegant professional clothing, but it is also important that it fits well and is easy to care for.”
Medanta was asked to join Sykke
When the creators of Sykkee contacted Medanta a few years ago during the planning phase of the series, the Medanta team was immediately enthusiastic. They were impressed by the professionalism of the series, one indication of which was that the creators had a clear vision for, for example, the blue-gray color scheme.
According to Taina Steiner, Medanta's Design and Production Director, the request for collaboration was easy to respond to because Medanta's clothing has many color options.
"We also noticed the impact of the series: when industry professionals saw on TV how good an all-gray work outfit looked, for example, we started getting orders for them."
Today, Sykke's creators and Medanta employees discuss new products whenever necessary. The collaboration has also directly influenced the company's product development.
"The Sykke team asked if the doctor could wear the chef's flat cap that we developed in his work. I said of course, if it protects the hair. In the series, it is worn with the short brim facing backwards," Steiner says.
“The hat is made from the same antibacterial fabric as our other products, and we are now developing a model for production that goes a little deeper into the head than before.”
The first four seasons of Sykke were broadcast on Yle, and it was transferred to Nelonen Media in 2018. The series features many popular and well-known actors, such as Lena Meriläinen, Leena Pöysti, Iina Kuustonen, Tiina Lymi and Antti Luusuanniemi . The new 20th season will also feature Laura Malmivaara and Christoffer Strandberg.
Syke won the Golden Venla Award in the Best TV Program category in 2016. The series is produced by Yellow Film & TV, and the episodes are filmed at the production company's studio in Helsinki. The new 20th season of the series starts on Ruudu on May 15, 2025.
The series now has shorter episodes than before, but they are still made up of episodes. For example, the fifth season has 40 episodes of about 20 minutes each, which make up a total of 10 episodes.
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.