The traditional Helavyö is an old ceremonial accessory and also part of the national costume. However, its use is not restricted by any regulations, and it can be freely worn as an accessory by both women and men.
The red belt with brass fittings is part of the national costume of the South Ostrobothnia man, the Härmä costume. The same belt with natural-colored leather is part of the Central Ostrobothnia costume. Decades ago, national costumes were subject to very critical regulations; only the right materials, colors, and accessories could be used, and they could not be combined with other clothing. These rules have long since been thrown into the scrap heap, and today all parts of the national costume can be combined with other clothing and worn according to one's own preferences.
The Helavyö can be worn regardless of gender, and it does not matter where one was born or where one lives. A good example of the Helavyö is the waist belt worn by world stars as a performance outfit. Silver-plated belts have been made for a long time, they are not traditionally part of any national costume, but are an alternative for those who prefer silvery metal to brass.
A belt buckle can be worn alone or combined with a knife. Usually, the metal parts of the belt and knife are made of the same material, a brass-plated belt with a brass-plated knife and a silver-plated belt with a silver-plated knife. You can also match the color of the leather of the sheath to the belt if you wish, because they are made of the same leather.
Of course, these do not limit the use either, you can combine all materials and colors to best suit your taste. The handmade belt buckle takes several meticulous hours to make from start to finish. Each part is handmade in Kauhava.
The leather comes in whole hides from Kokkola and all the brass parts are made by pressing from a sheet. The 115 cm long belt has a total of 117 handmade parts. The fastening loops of the belt buckles are twisted from metal wire in the old fashioned way and sawn by hand.
Each link is installed one at a time on the belt, not too tight, but so that it jingles when moving. This has always been done before. The belt can be easily shortened to the desired length by removing the fittings and moving the buckles, without any tools.
A longer belt of 150cm and a children's size of 70cm are also available.
