In 1949, Armi Ratia’s company Printex became Marimekko, and she already knew she wanted to stand out from the crowd. The year 1951 saw the first Marimekko fashion show in Helsinki, and the first Marimekko shop opened the next year. In 1954, Ratia wanted a distinctive symbol for the company, so a graphic designer put paper into an Olivetti, typed the lower case letter “m” and the simple logo was born.
Young designer Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi, who had joined the company in 1953, created the iconic Marimekko
Jokapoika shirt in 1956. Interestingly, master designer Tapio Wirkkala was one of the first to wear the shirt. It was an instant hit and remains popular today.
Marimekko went to the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958, and interest started to grow in the United States. A couple of years later, Jacqueline Kennedy posed for the cover of
Sports Illustrated in a red sleeveless Marimekko dress, and instantly
Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Women’s World Daily and the
New York Times spread the word like wildfire.
In 1964 Maija Isola defied Armi Ratia’s ban on florals and created another iconic design, the
Inikko pattern. Other great fabric designs would come from Isola, such as
Kaivo, Seireeni, Kivet and
Lokki. Eventually, Maija Isola's daughter Kristina would join her at Marimekko, and they would form a design team.
By the mid-60s, Marimekko was firmly established as one of the foremost companies in design and fashion and has continued to be innovative and exciting.
From marimekko.com
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The young Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi
makedesignedobjects.com |
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The Jokapoika shirt, worn by Armi Ratia (r)
zavodbig.com |
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A typical Marimekko geometric design
scandinaviandesign.com |
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