Queen Letizia puts Finnish fashion in diplomatic spotlight

Spain’s Queen Letizia wore a black outfit by Finnish fashion house Andiata during the royal couple’s state visit to Finland, a choice that appeared to honour the host country, Yle reports. It was the couple’s first state visit to Finland in nearly 40 years.

Letizia was seen in the outfit at Finlandia Hall and Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki. It included a blazer listed for 520 euros and a skirt priced at 360 euros in Andiata’s online shop, paired with a wine-red coat, bag and shoes.

Sini Hiipakka, Andiata’s sales and production manager, said the choice came as a surprise to the company. “It is a great honour to see Queen Letizia dressed in Andiata and, at the same time, to receive such a beautiful tribute to Finnish design,” she said.

Clothing choices can be part of diplomacy. President Alexander Stubb, for example, wore a high-collared bandhgala jacket associated with traditional Indian fashion during a visit to New Delhi earlier this year.

Andiata has also been worn by other members of European royal families at official events. Sweden’s Princess Sofia wore one of the Finnish brand’s dresses during a state visit in 2024, while Princess Victoria wore its wool coat during a visit to Germany that year. Denmark’s Queen Mary wore an Andiata cardigan when she was still a princess, meeting the Netherlands’ Queen Máxima in 2015.

The brand has also featured in the wardrobes of Finnish public figures. Jenni Haukio wore an Andiata dress at the 2018 meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Finland, and Suzanne Innes-Stubb wore one of the brand’s blazer dresses during a state visit to Sweden in 2025. Andiata was founded in 1986.