This Fashion Show Will Go Down On An Actual (Airport) Runway

A runway show, trotted out on an airport runway — that's almost too meta to be true. Except that it's really happening this May: Finnair is hosting the inaugural "Match Made in HEL" runway show at Finland's Helsinki Airport. ('HEL' is Helsinki's airport code.)

The multi-designer show will be comprised of seven designers, hailing from China, Korea, Japan, the U.K., Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Why the mini U.N. of designers? It's a nod to Helsinki's aim to be the "gateway airport" for connecting flights between Europe and Asia, given Finland's geographical location.

The seven designers were selected by Tuomas Laitinen, fashion director at SSAW, a Finnish fashion magazine. "Helsinki Airport presents a fascinating backdrop for the designers to showcase their work," Laitinen said in a statement. Check out the video below for more intel on how Laitinen selected the show's designers (looks like he spent a lot of time on planes and in airports during the process).

This isn't the first time Finnair has transformed the tarmac for a creative endeavor. Back in October 2014, Finnair threw a skateboarding invitational at Helsinki Airport.

The concept practically seems ripped out of a Zoolander 3 spec script (or like it could be a month-early April Fool's joke), but we've confirmed that the slightly zany catwalk spectacle is, in fact, legit.

As the industry continues to ponder the future of the traditional fashion-show format, could a really far-fetched, unexpected venue be the ticket to reviving (not scrapping) the catwalk experience? Just expect check-in to take much longer than at a typical show if airport security is involved.