I love Marimekko designs! I love the brightly-colored printed fabrics and simple styles. Being half-Finnish, I’m always interested in what my Finnish kinsmen are designing and I’m always excited to run across something made in Finland.
Marimekko was started in Finland in 1951 by Armi & Viljo Ratia. They had artists apply their graphic designs to textiles and the rest was history! Jackie Kennedy brought Marimekko to the forefront in 1960 by wearing several different Marimekko dresses during the 1960 Presidential campaign.
Marimekko designs flourished in the 1960s and ’70s. Bold, bright and graphic!
I’ve never run across a Marimekko garment before, but I found one the other day. Uh, dare I say, boring? Not exactly the exciting color explosion I was expecting. It is a linen jacket in a pale oyster gray. Superb design and construction…very simple and spare. It reminds me of what the Finnish landscape must look like in winter.
I shall keep and wear it despite its plainness. I keep anything that I find that’s made in Finland. I have a Finnish black wool hand-woven cape and a moth-bitten Finnish reindeer sweater that I wear. Finnish designs are rare and hard to find. I like to keep a little of my heritage, even if it’s boring. 😉
Marilyn