Marimekko
Marimekko is a Finnish brand known for its large, bright prints. Founded in Helsinki in 1951 by Armi Ratia and her husband Viljo, it has grown to a global fashion and home furnishings phenomenon while remaining true to its original principles, including an emphasis on sustainability and a belief that women’s clothing should be joyful and liberating.
Armi Ratia (née Airaksinen) was born in 1912 in Karelia, then a province of Finland near Russia. She studied textile design in Helsinki and opened a weaving workshop in Karelia. After World War II, she and her husband founded Marimekko (which means “Mari’s dress” in Finnish) as a textiles firm. Ratia expanded into dresses to showcase Marimekko’s bold, graphic prints, and the designs fed perfectly into Finland’s post-war desire for optimism, innovation, and joy.
Marimekko dresses (and later other types of clothing) presented a simpler, looser-fitting, more comfortable option for female fashion. The garments encourage movement and the prints are vibrant and approachable. Cotton is frequently used – originally because it was cheap, and today because of its comfort and utilitarian appeal.
Print designs are drawn from nature and everyday life, and the company has worked with many different designers to ensure its designs stay fresh and creative. Maija Isola was Marimekko’s first textile designer and one of the most famous; she designed hundreds of prints, including the extremely popular Unikko (poppy) print. But many other women have also designed garments and prints for the woman-owned company.
By the mid-1950s, Ratia was expanding Marimekko beyond Finland through exhibitions in the United States, Sweden, and other countries. Popularity boomed in the 1960s, especially after Jacqueline Kennedy wore several dresses throughout the 1960 presidential campaign. The Design Research boutique in Cambridge, Massachusetts, promoted the brand, and by the 1970s many US retailers stocked Marimekko products.
In the 1990s, Marimekko faced financial difficulties, but the company recovered, in part by focusing on its distinctly Finnish character and its commitment to sustainability. Today print designs are used for clothing as well as curtains, tablecloths, and other textiles and housewares. Marimekko’s printing factory remains in Finland, even as its reach has spread across the globe.
To learn more about Marimekko, check out Marimekko: In Patterns at Haggerty Library.
