Get to Know Marimekko!

What exactly does Marimekko mean? Well, it is a play onwords yet is completelydescriptive. “Mari” is an anagram of the first name of the company’s founder, the late Armi Ratia, while “mekko” means dress in Finnish! It was the dresses thatstarted it all in 1951, but the company has expanded its product line anddesign in such creative ways its worth taking note of!! One may wonder how cansuch amazing colors and design come from such a cold country such as Finland.According to the company’s CEO Mika Ihamuotila, his designers feelthat when you live in one of the coldest, and sometimes darkest places on earth,you want to create color and warmth through the designs! Well, they haveachieved that! I find the fabric to be so bright and cheery, with such funpatterns! They are very playful,yet not always childish. The company wants to bring to light the need for itscustomers to establish and display their own individuality and personality!They feel that their products and fabric allow the customer to do just that. Ithink Marilmekko’s fabric and products can allow us to bring out the fun side of design, and everyday objects that we may take for granted. Now thingssuch as tablecloths, napkins etc., take on a personality all their own! I amintrigued by the possibilities of using their fabrics into traditionalsettings, to allow a pop of unexpected playfulness to arise! For moreinformation on this intriguing company please check out the website www.marimekko.com!It has some lovely video clips that really give you an idea of their corevalues, and creative edge!

Get to know Marimekko!