Marimekko paper classic 2013

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A PAPER FROM

W W W . M A R I M E K KO . C O M

UNFOLD THE STORY

T H I S I S

ABOUT PATTERNS, COLOURS

& LIFE

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CONTENTS

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THE MARIMEKKO

dRESS

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THE ART Of

pR INTMAKINg

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fROM SHApE TO

pATTERN

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A TOuCH Of

COlOuR

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AROuNdTHE

WORld

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pATTERNS Of

CuRIOSIT y

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EMOTIONAlly INSpIREd

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EVERy dESIgN HAS

A STORy

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THE SECRET Of

MARIMEKKO

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Some sixty years ago, finnish design and fashion house Marimekko transformed the textile industry with its bold colours and unconventional patterns. Today, its inventive yet timeless dialogue between colour, pattern and shape translates into distinctive designs that celebrate the ar t of print making all over the world. In this paper, we explore the essence of Marimekko’s design philosophy and invite you to bring patterns and colours to your everyday life.

pROlOguE

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MARIMEKKO IN SpIRIT

ANd pATTERN

Marimekko was founded in Finland in 1951 by Armi Ratia – a woman of exceptional courage and imagination. At the time Finland was recovering from the war and the prevalent mood was gray. Armi wanted Marimekko to bring a new sense of optimism and joy to everyday life through bold colours and vibrant patterns. She encouraged young artists and designers to explore how design could make a positive impact on the quality of life around the world.

More than 60 years later, Marimekko still holds the belief that patterns colour life. Yet Marimekko would not be where it is today without the work and thoughts of passionate people. Some of them are designers, others work in production, and some are loyal friends who have helped make Marimekko great. Their contribution is at the heart of the Marimekko spirit.

Although a spirit is difficult to describe in concrete terms, the spirit of Marimekko has always been surprisingly down-to-earth. Run by designers, craftsmen and professionals, the Marimekko phenomenon thrives on creativity and entrepreneurship. The company’s dedication to in-house fabric printing is also unique in the fashion and textile industry. It is the skilled hands and eyes of people working under the same roof that create wearable, workable joy.

fROM SIlENCE

TO jOy

At Marimekko, happiness comes in many sizes, shapes and colours. And there is no one way to enjoy these ingredients of everyday joy. That is why people are encouraged to have fun with Marimekko designs – to mix and match colours and patterns in unimaginable ways and to be free with their own creativity.

Marimekko is also a place of strong emotions and great silence, where the unmistakable passion for bright

colours and bold black-and-white contrasts joins with quiet tones and muted hues. In a sense, Marimekko works with the entire gamut of human feeling: joy, calm, serenity, enthusiasm, even brooding silence. It is this desire to combine seemingly contradictory emotions that makes Marimekko distinct in a world captivated by easy answers and fading fads.

pRACTICAlly

fINNISH

Marimekko is incredibly Finnish. In other words, it is both East and West, in the meeting point between two cultures. From Scandinavia comes clarity and functionality – from the Eastern influence comes emotion and prolific decorativeness. Of course, each designer also brings a unique, personal vision to Marimekko.

“I think one reason why we have retained our enigmatic essence and appeal is that Marimekko embraces contradiction and allows the imagination to roam,” says Minna Kemell-Kutvonen, Creative Director of Marimekko.

Marimekko also reflects the times we live in, though there is always an element of Marimekko in the design. It is difficult to explain what this element is, but it is easy to spot. It is either there or it is not. Over the decades, Marimekko has come out with an incredible variety of prints, cuts, fits and new design approaches. Yet there is always something that makes it feel like Marimekko. Sometimes it is the product’s hand-made feeling, a boldness of cut, new textile printing techniques or simply a quirky sense of humour. For instance, Marimekko’s colours in the 1960s and 1970s were extremely intense. In the 1980s, the Marimekko palette was more faded or washed. Today, Marimekko uses deeper shades of colours, including vibrant yellows, orange and red. And while colour schemes and the world may change, Marimekko remains ever faithful to its spirit.

STRONg COlOuRS. BOld pATTERNS. INSpIRATION fOR EVERydAy lIfE .

INTERIOR dECORATION TEXTIlES ANd TABlEWARE, ClOTHINg, BAgS ANd OTHER ACCESSORIES.

THE SECRETOF

MARIMEKKO

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DRESS KASTEuMbREllA jOONAS STICK

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lEIdI – jOKApOIKA (EVERyBOy)

In 1953, the very year she joined Marimekko, Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi created ‘Piccolo’, a striped fabric print which almost every Finn knows, at least by sight. Three years later, a shirt made from the fabric appeared in shops and on the streets – for good, it seems. Vuokko designed the original ‘Jokapoika’ shirt for men, but women, too, found it so irresistible that it might well have been Finland’s first unisex garment.

EVERYDESIgN HAS

A STORYMARIMEKKO COllECTIONS COMBINE SEASONAl

dESIgNS AS WEll AS ClASSICS THAT ARE BElOVEd pROduCTS fROM THE OVER S IX dECAdES Of MARIMEKKO HISTORy.

EACH pROduCT HAS A STORy THAT CONVEyS THE uNIquE pERSONAlITy BEHINd A MARIMEKKO dESIgN.

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MATKuRI(TRAVEllER)

First there was the ‘Peruskassi’ bag, fit for carrying all sorts of things – a basic bag. Then one day Ristomatti Ratia was flying home from a trip with his jam-packed ‘Peruskassi’, when the bag, which had been placed under the seat, fell over during take-off, sending its contents rolling about the cabin. The designer spent the rest of the trip pondering what should be done to the bag so that this would not happen again. There must be a zipper, at least, and a flap, sewn onto the inside edge of the bag, could be added to make more room if needed. This was done, and a classic was born. We call it ‘Matkuri’ – the traveller.

TASARAITA(EVEN STRIpE)

As both women and men began wearing jeans more and more often, designer Annika Rimala wanted to design a collection of clothing that would go well with the popular trousers. For all those who love jeans, regardless of age, size or gender. Thus, in 1968, Marimekko’s first tricot clothing collection was born – an even-striped celebration of equality between men, women and children.

pAllOpAITA(dOT SHIRT)

The ‘Pallo’ (dot) pattern, designed by Marimekko designer Annika Rimala in 1970, was launched in a fashion show in a somewhat exceptional manner. Samples of the styles had not been finished on time, so instead of models showing the clothes, the designer asked the audience to imagine white dots in a size of ten cent coins on a navy, brown and red background.

OlKAlAuKKu(SHOuldER BAg)

The heavyweight cotton ‘Olkalaukku’ shoulder bag, designed by Ristomatti Ratia for Marimekko, saw the light of day in 1971 and immediately captivated a sizeable troop of carriers and supporters. Since then, its popularity has not dwindled for a second. Hundreds of thousands of ‘Olkalaukku’ bags have been made in a variety of classic and seasonal colours.

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UNIKKO(POPPY)

TEXTIlE dESIgNER MAIjA ISOlA’S ClASSIC pATTERN WAS BORN IN 1964 SHORTly AfTER

MARIMEKKO fOuNdER ARMI RATIA HAd ANNOuNCEd THAT

MARIMEKKO WOuld NEVER pRINT A flORAl pATTERN.

MAIjA pAId NO HEEd TO ARMI ’S dECREE ANd dESIgNEd AN

ENTIRE COllECTION Of flORAl pATTERNS IN pROTEST. ONE Of

THEM WAS ‘uNIKKO’, A TRuE ICON Of THE fuTuRE.

uMbREllA p IENI uNIKKO STICK

TEA TOWElS p IENI uNIKKO

APRON p IENI uNIKKO

CuSHION COVER pIENI uNIKKO

PlY WOOD TRAY p IENI uNIKKO

MuG O IVA / uNIKKO

COFFEE CuP OIVA / uNIKKO

PHONE COVER uNIKKO

NOTEbOOK uNIKKO

TEAPOT O IVA / uNIKKO

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The ‘lumimarja’ print by designer Erja Hirvi from 2004 was originally built out of real parts of a snowberry bush. In the middle of the winter, Erja found

the snowberry bush to be the only suitable plant for her sketch. upon its introduction, ‘lumimarja’ became an instant Marimekko classic.

luMIMARjA (SNOWBERRy)

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The inspiration for the classic ‘Kaivo’ pattern came to Marimekko designer Maija Isola in 1964, as

she dropped a bucket into a well and watched ripples form on the water surface.

KAIVO(WEll)

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Marimekko has collaborated with countless artists and designers over the years. Together they have created some of Marimekko’s most cherished printed patterns. Essential to this spirit of collaboration has been the creative freedom given to the individual artist. When a sketch or painting is reborn as a textile, Marimekko shows the utmost respect for the artist’s original vision.

Marimekko introduces dozens of new fabric designs each year. The journey from sketches to the printed fabric begins with an exchange of ideas. The designers are encouraged to express themselves and interpret everyday life on their own terms. In this way, each and every Marimekko design has an authentic story to tell.

EMOTIONALLY INSPIRED

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You can barely hear your own voice inside Marimekko’s heart – the company’s textile printing factory in Helsinki, Finland. Huge air conditioners hum in sync with the factory’s massive printing machines.

The machine feeds fabric onto a moving belt, which allows print screens to be pressed against the fabric. A metal bar squeezes the dye through the screen onto the fabric. Marimekko’s printers monitor the quality of the printed fabric and make sure there is enough dye on the screen. The printers rely on experience to gauge the amount of dye.

The staff work in two shifts at Marimekko’s factory in Herttoniemi – preparing colours and screens, operating the printing machines, and checking the quality of the finished fabric.

THE ART OF

PRINTMAKINg

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The Marimekko dress has never aspired to Parisian chic or Milanese moda, but rather sought to make vibrant colours and bold patterns an everyday affair for millions of women, in Finland and elsewhere.

From its catwalk debut to its many modern variants, the Marimekko dress has always been a symbol of a brighter, more colourful future. Throughout its more than sixty years of history, the Marimekko dress has also exemplified a peculiarly Nordic mindset – one which puts fairness and consensus above inequality and conflict. In

2010

DRESS udElEPAT TERN uNIKKO

THE MARIMEKKO dRESS – COlOuRful IN pATTERN yET fuNCTIONAl

IN fORM – EpITOMISES MARIMEKKO’S IMpACT ON THE WORld Of dESIgN ANd

fASHION.

THE MARIMEKKO

DRESS

fact, Finland was the first country in Europe to grant women the right to vote and Finnish women see gender equality as a birthright. Even their choice of clothing has traditionally had less to do with trendiness and more to do with personal integrity and freedom. The Marimekko dress has answered this desire with flying colours. No wonder, then, that Jacqueline Kennedy, later Onassis, wowed the world in her Marimekko dresses during the 1960 presidential campaign and that today other international female icons don theirs with pride.

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2012

DRESS ARONIAPAT TERN KI ISSElI

1997

DRESS AIlI

2009

DRESS AlIAPAT TERN ACApulCO

2003

DRESS lINSSIPAT TERN lINSS I

2009

DRESS VAlER IEPAT TERN VIll IK A AlI

2004

DRESS SHOWPAT TERN AppElS I IN I

2007

DRESS ANdREINAPAT TERN ORVOKKI

2013

DRESS VAlOVuOSIPAT TERN MARS

1971

DRESS SuMuPAT TERN pAlIKK A

1959

DRESS KROOKuSPAT TERN pICCOlO

1967

DRESS lINjAVI ITTAPAT TERN gAllER IA

1981

DRESS RESONANSSIPAT TERN fORTE

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1974

DRESS KOppElOPATTERN TIET

RIgHT

2013

DRESS pIKKuBASSIHAT SARdA

PAT TERN p IKKu SuOMu

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TEA CuP OIVA

ESPRESSO SET OIVA / RÄSyMATTO

bOWl OIVA / S I IRTOlApuuTARHA

PlATE OIVA / S I IRTOlApuuTARHA

FROM SHAPE TOPATTERN

AS OBjECTS, p IECES Of TABlEWARE ARE ClOSE TO uS. THEy ARE ITEMS THAT yOu HOld IN yOuR HANd ANd

ENjOy lOOKINg AT ON THE TABlE .

need to have. A few beautiful pieces with a clear purpose, but that are usable in many ways. In good company around a table,” says Sami Ruotsalainen.

pATTERNS INSpIREd

By pERfECT MOMENTS

Designer Maija louekari created the first patterns for the new Marimekko ‘Oiva’ tableware collection – including the ‘Siirtolapuutarha’ (community garden) and ‘Räsymatto’ (rag rug) prints – inspired by a trip from the city streets to the community garden as well as the perfect moment of sitting on the porch in the countryside with the first cup of coffee in your hand admiring the sunrise.

“The patterns have their own personality, and give something to the shape and vice versa. The print is designed to wrap around the shape. The colour of the natural off-white clay was used as an element in the illustration. When I was sketching the series, the patterns were all different, but they still fit together. The hand-drawn line also forms a narrative continuity,” says Maija.

From shape to pattern, Sami and Maija created a tableware collection from which everyone can find their own favourite piece to brighten up everyday life. Furthermore, now the Marimekko tableware collection has grown to include a wide variety of also other joyful Marimekko prints that can be mixed and matched freely to suit any social occasion.

Marimekko designer Sami Ruotsalainen is a passionate cook, and so when designing the new Marimekko ‘Oiva’ tableware collection he wanted to have a nice plate for different dishes, and the right cup for each drink: a proper coffee cup for coffee, and a real tea cup for tea. but he also wanted to keep the number of items in the collection small, and designed the pieces so that they can be used in many ways: have your morning cereal from the tea cup, or serve a dessert from the coffee cup. Everyone can choose the right piece that fits their hand, and suits their mood.

Sami chose a unique design path after examining standard cup and bowl measurements, and set to work with his own size, shape and volume specifications. He examined classic pieces of ceramics from decades ago, pieces he had collected or inherited from his grandmother. It all came down to what he felt was best at the time. In this way the shapes of the ‘Oiva’ became unique, and very Marimekko.

“The idea is that the tableware fits nicely everywhere. With old and new items. When I look at the cups and bowls, I am immediately reminded of my grandmother, who would have coffee in the morning, afternoon and evening, and always from a proper coffee cup, refusing any mugs. The idea was to have pieces for everybody to choose their own from, to create a warm, gentle feeling around the kitchen table. I wanted to create only the items you

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PATTERNS OF

CURIOSITY

KIdS ARE NATuRAlS WHEN IT COMES TO plAyINg WITH

COlOuRS ANd pATTERNS. THEy ARE AlWAyS lOOKINg fOR

NEW THINgS TO WEAR ANd SOMETIMES EVEN TEAR.

SOCKSBIl

bATHRObEEEVERT

STACKING bOXESRAITTI

T-SHIRTBO BOO

SuITCASEKARKuTEIllÄ

bIbuNIKKO

TRAYBO BOO

SHIRT lASTEN pITKÄHIHASHIRT lASTEN pAllOpAITA

DRESS KISSAMEKKO CAP p IKKu ISÄNTÄ

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l APTOP COVER Huppu

SHOulDER bAGpASI

B Ig OR SMAll , flORAl , gRApHIC OR MONOCHROMATIC.

AT MARIMEKKO yOu WIll AlWAyS fINd A

fAVOuRITE ACCESSORy fOR EVERy OCCASION.

DRESS jOOlITOTE bAG TOIMI

SHOPPING bAGpIENI uNIKKO BAg

PuRSE pIEN I KuKK ARO

bACKPACKEppu

SHOulDER bAGMINI WEEKENdER

A TOUCH OF

COLOUR

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MARIMEKKO’S S IMply CuT, COMfORTABlE ClOTHES STANd OuT

ON THE CATWAlKS WITH THEIR EXCITINg pRINTS ANd OpTIMISTIC COlOuRS.

A SHOw OF COLOUR

AND PATTERN

May it be at New York or Stockholm fashion week or at one of Marimekko’s captivating dancing outdoor

fashion shows in Helsinki or Shanghai, Marimekko design always warms the hearts of the audience.

AROuNdTHE

WORld

New York

Stockholm

Stockholm

Shanghai

Helsinki

Helsinki

New York

Shanghai

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AROuNdTHE

WORld

AT MARIMEKKO, WE BElIEVE HAppINESS COMES IN MANy S IzES, SHApES ANd COlOuRS. WE AlSO THINK THERE IS NO ONE dESIgN fOR ENjOyINg THE

EVERydAy MOMENTS Of lIfE . THAT IS WHy OuR SHOpS ENCOuRAgE pEOplE TO HAVE fuN WITH OuR pROduCTS – TO MIX ANd MATCH COlOuRS ANd pATTERNS IN

uNIMAgINABlE WAyS. IT IS THIS ATTITudE THAT MAKES SHOppINg AT MARIMEKKO AN

EXpERIENCE lIKE NO OTHER.

THE jOY OF SHOPPINg AT MARIMEKKO

WWW.MARIMEKKO.COMWWW.FACEbOOK.COM/MARIMEKKOGlObAl

WWW.TWITTER.COM/MARIMEKKOFIWWW.PINTEREST.COM/MARIMEKKOGlObAl

WWW.WEIbO.COM/MARIMEKKOOFFICIAl

Marimekko shops can be found in a variety of locations throughout the world. Find one nearest to you at

www.marimekko.com/shops.New York

london

Sydney

beverly Hills

boston

Helsinki

Hong Kong

Tokyo

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