Far more than a fashion statement, the philosophy behind the Marimekko dress sparked an entire lifestyle universe. Since the beginning, home products and accessories have also carried the world-famous prints and positive message.
Marimekko, the Finnish brand famed for its fabrics printed with splashy, outsized motifs, arose just as Finland was regaining its autonomy and forging a new national identity in the postwar years. It clearly expressed optimism but a little-known fact about the label is its bohemian pedigree. Starting out as a textile brand that soon morphed into a globally successful fashion and home-furnishing label, its fan base numbered artists and fashion icons who represented progressive values, from the glamorous Jackie Kennedy, who snapped up seven Marimekko dresses, to artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
Marimekko’s unmistakable aesthetic is indivisible from the adventurous spirit of entrepreneur Armi Ratia, who co-founded the brand in 1951. Photographs of Ratia provide powerful projections of her personality and her brand’s ethos. In one photo from the 1960s, she reclines on a hammock at her summer house in the countryside, Bökars, reading The Letters of F Scott Fitzgerald, copies of Elle and Vogue on her lap – a picture of bohemian, cultured bliss. By contrast, in one 1970s image, she cuts a formidable figure at her printing factory in Helsinki sporting a swashbuckling maxi-coat, trousers tucked into boots, looking single-minded and fearless.
Marimekko is still going strong, its carefree spirit encapsulated by its recent collaboration with Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, featuring roomy dresses emblazoned with the signature bold, colourful, large-scale prints and there more recent collaboration with Ikea, IKEA x Marimekko – A collaboration on Nordic wellness and joy.
A book, Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking by Laird Borrelli-Persson, was published to celebrate the lifestyle brand’s 70th anniversary, charting how the well-connected, media-savvy Ratia – and the highly individualistic artists she hand-picked to design for her – shaped the label’s audacious aesthetic.
“When Armi set up Marimekko, her idea was to avoid well-trodden routes in textile design,” says the brand’s Minna Kemell-Kutvonen. Polite, itsy-bitsy florals were the norm in the textiles world internationally then, but Ratia counterintuitively championed outsized, abstract motifs in offbeat colour combinations.
“Armi was free-spirited, and rejected notions of class and traditional gender roles”– Laird Borrelli-Persson
Striped, checked, and floral prints in bold colors make up a rich artistic legacy. Over the years, our designers have created some 3,500 print designs, which have graced everything from dresses and bags to ceramics, fabrics, and more. Proving their timeless appeal, the iconic prints have been reborn time and again in thousands of imaginative color palettes. And each year, new pieces of printed artworks are introduced to an ever-evolving collection.
It all started with a dress
When founding Marimekko in the early nineteen fifties, Armi Ratia created one of the world’s first lifestyle brands. She had a remarkable ability to capture the spirit of her time, presenting the world with her much-welcomed vision for optimism and personal joy. The journey began with a simple dress in captivating prints. A bold and carefree celebration of individuality, the dress became an instant classic. Over the years, the Marimekko dress has remained an empowering uniform for independent women everywhere, always current yet true to its original concept.
