Founded in 1951 by visionary textile designer Armi Ratia and her husband, Viljo, the Marimekko Corporation in Finland not only sparked a revolution in pattern making but also pioneered a new definition of fashion that embraced the entire home environment. This book—the first comprehensive study of Marimekko designs—presents more than one hundred examples of the exuberant Marimekko fashions and home furnishings that gave the company a definitive presence on the world design stage.

The book considers the history of the company from its founding through today and examines Marimekko’s impact on design in Finland and around the world. The company’s most important designers, including Maija Isola and Vuokko Eskolin-Nurmesniemi, their contributions, and their stylistic development are also discussed. In addition, the book examines Marimekko home and office interiors and how they reflected the lifestyle envisioned in Armi Ratia’s broad, radical definition of fashion.


Table of Contents
Foreword
Susan Weber Soros

Introduction
Marianna Aav

1. Armi Ratia and the Duality of a Design Enterprise
Marianna Aav

2. Textile Patterns in an International Context: Precursors, Comtemporaries, and Successors
Lesley Jackson

3. Fashion: Individuality and Industry
Riitta Anttikoski

4. The Marimekko Vision of Architecture and Interiors
Riitta Nikula

5. Thoughts on the International Receptions of Marimekko
Hedvig Hedqvist and Rebecca Tarschys

6. Various Causes of Corporate Success
Antti Ainamo

7. Marimekko: Fabrics, Fashion, Architecture
Marianna Aav with Maria Harkapaa and Eeva Viljanen

Selected Biographies of Marimekko Designers
Maria Harkapaa

Checklist of the Exhibition

Corporate Chronology
Eeva Viljanen with Ronald T. Labaco

Selected List of Marimekko Designers, 1950-2003

Bibliography

Index

Contributors’ Page
Contributors
Marianne Aav
Director, Design Museum, Finland

Antti Ainamo
Adjunct Professor, Helsinki School of Economics
Riitta Anttikoski
Journalist and Former Staff Writer for the Finnish daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat
Lesley Jackson
Independent Design Historian, Writer, and Curator
Hedvig Hedqvist
Interior Architect and Journalist specializing in architecture and design
Riitta Nikula
Professor of Art History; Ph.D., University of Helsinki
Rebecka Tarschays
Freelance Journalist and Writer specializing in Design and Architecture