Marimekko

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Marimekko is a Finnish company based in Helsinki that has made important contributions to fashion, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. They are particularly noted for brightly-colored printed fabrics and simple styles.

[edit] History

Marimekko was founded in 1951 by Armi and Viljo Ratia, when Armi asked some artist friends to apply their graphic designs to textiles. In order to show how the fabric could be used, the company then designed and sold a line of simple dresses using their fabric. Viljo had been involved in an unsuccessful oilcloth factory, which they converted into a clothing-fabric factory.

Marimekko was first introduced to the United States by the architect Benjamin C. Thompson, who featured them heavily in his Design Research stores. They were made famous in the United States by Jacqueline Kennedy, who wore them during the 1960 US Presidential campaign.

By 1965, the company employed over 400, and the company was in every aspect of fine design, from fabrics to toys, dinnerware, even completely equipped small houses. Marimekko was more than just a fashion brand, it was a lifestyle and point of view. That year, Armi Ratia told Pan Am's Clipper magazine that she was "against success--it is a sick word. Too many side effects." In the interview by R.E. Smallman, she also said that she did not like "hats, corsets. There is almost no more bra or even pants--no elegant woman will wear stockings, perhaps even no shoes. The world changes quickly, and this is expression of the new society."

[edit] External links

Marimekko home page
Marimekko fashion makes bold new again The Christian Science Monitor
Bard Graduate Center press release announcing an exhibit on the history of Marimekko. Includes a significant amount of background on the company and its work.