The Finnish television series Syke takes viewers into the fast-paced twists and turns of a hospital and the everyday lives of its staff. The staff uniforms made by Medanta enhance the series' authentic realism.
The events of the award-winning drama series Syke are set in the trauma ward of a hospital in a fictional city. Since the series is filmed in a highly realistic style, the costume design also plays a significant role: the hospital staff's outfits are one indication of professionalism.
Syke has been in production since 2014, and costume designers Ninna Päiväläinen and Ninni Lahtinen established the guidelines for the workwear's color palette during the series' design phase. Even then, the makers of Syke reached out to Medanta.
Grey, white, and dark blue were selected for the clothing's color palette.
“We have wanted to continue with this color scheme, even though the clothing models have been updated,” explains costume designer Netta Kervinen, who has been involved since the third season and is responsible for the costumes in the series' latest episodes.
Recently, the series' color selection has expanded slightly.
“For example, cancer nurses wear Medanta's pink shirts, and sometimes the ward nurses seen in the episodes wear patterned tunics,” says costume designer Kervinen.
A professional uniform helps actors slip into their roles
Although Syke has been airing for years, there is still plenty of costume work to do, according to Netta Kervinen, as the series constantly creates new characters and work environments. The designer and costume coordinator continuously update the characters' “wardrobes” to suit different situations and seasons, in accordance with each character's style.
In the autumn of 2018, at the beginning of the fifth season, practical nurse Aino, played by Amelie Blauberg, joined the series. Her character is a newly graduated nurse who is still uncertain about her skills.
Blauberg is young herself and has no experience in the hospital world, but the right kind of outfit helps her embody the role.
“As soon as I put on these authentic work clothes, I feel like I'm becoming a professional in the field. This work outfit is also just amazing for an actor: it’s really super comfortable to wear! The outfit is flexible, breathable, and relaxed, even though it’s clearly a professional work uniform.”
According to Blauberg, many other costumes are the type you want to change out of as soon as there is even a short break in filming. Medanta's workwear is an exception.
“This might be my first role costume that I want to keep wearing even during breaks,” says Blauberg, who has also acted in, for example, the television series Uusi päivä.
Thorough familiarization with hospital work
Netta Kervinen and Amelie Blauberg both emphasize how important it is to familiarize oneself with hospital work and equipment before filming.
“Industry professionals have trained us extensively on the hospital environment and even on the use of clothing. For example, doctors in the series wear a white coat, where the sleeves must either be shortened or rolled up for hygiene reasons, just like in a real hospital,” Kervinen explains.
The costume designer takes a close look at the accessories used by many of the series' characters: what surgeons' masks, protective gowns, or hair covers look like, for example. They must be used correctly and according to the situation.
Even small details are important.
“Nowadays, when I visit a doctor myself, I watch with a keen eye what kind of lanyards, pens, or shoes the nursing staff has,” says Kervinen.
Different lanyards have also been developed for the Syke staff, tailored to each character.
“Medanta's clothes are well-fitting and easy to care for”
The actors' costumes are the result of many people working together.
“The costume designer creates the series' big-picture costume guidelines, and I, as a costume coordinator, assist the designer and manage the daily wardrobe operations,” says Netta Kervinen.
Ninna Päiväläinen, who has been involved from the start, has continued as the lead costume designer for Syke. Because it is a major series, the costume team includes not only her and Kervinen, but also Elisa Avikainen as a set costumer. Occasionally, a costume intern also helps out.
There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the wardrobe department when filming episodes for Syke. Each actor has their own rack, which also contains their character’s casual clothes. Actors pick up and return clothes and ask for advice on dressing when needed.
Netta Kervinen is a freelance costume designer, but Syke is now her full-time job for about six months. The fifth and sixth seasons are being filmed until the spring of 2019, and Kervinen and her assistant also take care of washing and ironing the clothes in the series' wardrobe department.
The costumes are heavily used. Each actor has two shirts and two pairs of trousers, which are always washed at the end of the filming day. If a scene involves, for example, surgery where fake blood might splatter, the clothes must be able to be changed in the middle of the day.
“Medanta's clothes are simply stylish professional garments, but it is also important that they fit well and are easy to maintain.”
Medanta was invited to join Syke
When the makers of Syke contacted Medanta a few years ago during the series' design phase, the team at Medanta was immediately excited. They were impressed by the professionalism of the production, one indication of which was that the team had a clear vision for, for example, a blue-grey color scheme.
According to Medanta’s design and production director Taina Steiner, it was easy to respond to the request for collaboration because Medanta has many color options in its clothing.
“We noticed the impact of the series ourselves: when industry professionals saw on TV how good a completely grey work outfit looked, we started receiving orders for them.”
Today, the Syke team and Medanta staff discuss new products whenever necessary. The collaboration has also directly influenced the company’s product development.
“The Syke crew asked if a doctor could use the chef-style flat cap we developed in their work. I said of course, as long as it protects the hair. In the series, it has been used with the short brim facing backward,” Steiner says.
“The hat is made of the same antibacterial fabric as our other products, and we are now developing a model for production that goes a little deeper on the head than before.”
The first four seasons of Syke were shown on Yle, and it moved 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.
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 24th season of the series will start on Ruutu in September 2026.
The series now has shorter episodes than before, which, however, form larger wholes. For example, the fifth season has 40 episodes of about 20 minutes each, forming a total of 10 blocks.
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