A mighty Finnish design era came out of the rubble of WWII and was granted decisive impetus by the International Triennial's of 1951 and 1954 which clearly set up the concept of Finnish design. By officially blending design into production, materials from Marimekko had achieved international consideration with their distinguishing of a select market receptive to the large Finnish design look. Marimekko started in Finland in 1949 after buying Printex Oy, which was an oilcloth factory outside of Helsinki. Armi and Viljo Ratia started the company and it is known for the production of the highest quality textiles for clothing and home furnishing. They brought back the old technique of silk-screen printing by hand on cotton.
This approach, distinguished by its resultant irregularities and duplicated patterning, made every design appear hand-made. While production methods have long since been automated, the corporation still prints to a level of manually-produced quality. By utilizing its distinctive patterns and natural fibers, it underscored its commitment to Scandinavia's love of nature.
With Armi as its design director, the firm moved away from the standard approach of the other fabric designers in Finland at that time, utilizing an assortment of patterns which incorporated the abstract graphics of various artists rather than realistic images. Their original collection of basic women's dresses, which debuted in the city of Helsinki back in 1951, was a means of showcasing the corporation's printed cottons.
Wraparound and front-button garments were included, thus accentuating textiles instead of styling. This collection was known as Marimekko, blending the old-fashioned Finnish girl name Maria and the word mekko, describing a tow shirt, open in the back and then worn as if it were a pinafore. Since that time, "Maria's little dress" expanded into home furnishing textiles, with some international licensing agreements begun in 1968 for bedding, wall covering, decorative fabric, table linens, paper products, furniture (möbler), kitchen ware, glassware, ceramics, and rugs.
By the close of the 1900s, Marimekko had already succeeded in re-establishing itself in the United States. It offered American purchasers popular textiles and interior design (inredning) merchandise (for interiors and exteriors alike), including wallpaper, bedding, area rugs and lots more via a network of licensed firms. While it may not be quite as famous as numerous other fabric companies, its striking and distinctive patterns and characteristic choices of vivid colors are easily recognized and give it a unique identity which is as alive today as it ever was.
By formally integrating design into manufacturing, textiles from marimekko acquired international attention through their identification of an exclusive market responsive to the strong Finnish design aesthetic. Wraparound and front-buttoned garments were included, accentuating the textiles rather than the styling of the garments. "Maria's little dress" expanded into home furnishing textiles, with overseas licensing agreements (initiated in 1968) for wall coverings, bedding, decorative fabrics, paper products, table linens, kitchenware, furniture (möbler), ceramics, glassware, rugs, and wall coverings. These products included fabric for interior design (inredning) such as wall coverings and rugs, as well as bed linens and much more.
