Marimekko

This brand from Finland is well-known for its boldly coloured and patterned fabrics and clothes, typical of the Scandinavian style.

Without doubt Marimekko is one of the great success stories in the history of 20th century design. Founded in 1951 by the visionary textile designer Armi Ratia (1913-79) and her husband, Viljo, she asked some of her graphic designer friends to apply their designs to textiles. The first collection with exuberant prints was presented at a restaurant in Helsinki in 1951 and already the following year the first company-owned retail store was opened. The company's fashions were on display in the Finnish Pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair in 1956, giving the company invaluable international awareness. The fact that Jacqueline Kennedy wore Marimekko dresses during the US Presidential campaign in 1960, spurred on the interest for this Finnish brand in the Unites States. Soon the Scandinavian colourful prints of fashion and home design added a highly original vocabulary to an otherwise conservative market.

The Name
Marimekko derives from the vernacular Finnish form of the girl's name "Mary" and mekko, which means "dress." This twist of the modern and traditional is characteristic of the company.

But not everything has been a succeess story for Marimekko. Ratia hired an architect to create a Marimekko utopian community, a village for 3,500 inhabitants, including their employees. A model house described as a "minimum dwelling" in a thickly wooded forest with colourful interiors was fabricated. The press identified with the project, whereas the employees and the company's finances didn't.

Design values and lifestyle

Each Marimekko design has to comply with special design values and express the Marimekko lifestyle concept. Key words are functionality, quality and innovation.

Once again the Marimekko clothing with its clean, unisex lines and loose fitting style are the rage. In the 1960's they symbolized sexual equality and freedom; today they are retro-trendy.

Related Information
Exhibition "Marimekko: The Story of a Nordic Brand" in Danish Museum of Art& Design in Copenhagen, March 2-May 28, 2007, www.kunstindustrimuseet.dk/en 
Official Marimekko website, www.marimekko.com/eng

Photo of founder Armi Ratia